


Let Art Be Our Weapon

by FireNinjaDagger



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fabulous Killjoys Fusion, Frerard, Let Art Be Our Weapon, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-14 08:38:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11204391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireNinjaDagger/pseuds/FireNinjaDagger
Summary: After his home is gone, Gerard and Mikey must flee from everything they know and the Killjoys take them in. There Gerard meets Frank, a heart attack in black hair dye with the most enchanting eyes. Gerard grows up and becomes a Killjoys fighter with a team, meeting and losing other Killjoys. He helps fight against the Society and BL/ind from suppressing art and individuality. The story starts with Gerard at 10 years old and continues as he grows up. The saga follows along with the music videos for Na Na Na & SING then continuing along with the Killjoy comic books and My Chemical Romance/Gerard Way songs.





	1. Chapter 1

****

"Go! Run!" my mother shouts, pushing me back. "Take your brother and don't ever look back." My father leans against the door trying to hold it close but he couldn't hold it forever. At some point, it would open and they would come in and kill us. They don't know my parents had two boys. If we all tried to escape, they would never stop looking. Right now, it could only be me and Mikey. My mother lifted me into the cupboards and then Mikey. "No matter what you hear or see, don't stop. Keep running."

****

The true lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is an epic adventure starting with a young boy, Gerard Way, and his younger brother Mikey. The days ahead are ones full of danger but even in the darkest of times, remember to keep running because a Killjoy never dies. Even if they join the Black Parade, their memory will carry on.

Look alive, Sunshine  
109 in the sky but the pigs won't quit  
You're here with me: Dr. Death Defying  
I'll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter  
Pumpin' out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive  
A system failure for the masses, antimatter for the master plan  
Louder than God's revolver and twice as shiny  
This one's for all of you rock'n'rollers  
All you crash queens and motor babies  
Listen up!

The future is bulletproof  
The aftermath is secondary  
It's time to do it now and do it loud  
Killjoys  
Make some noise

 

A/N: This is my interpretation of the Killjoys' lives and how everything plays out in Battery City. This is Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. I am basing this story off of what happens in these videos with a creative license and MCR songs. The story will pick up after the setting and characters are introduced. This story has taken me over a year to write and it's currently still ongoing. The beginning it's the best but if you make past "Official" things set up and it gets good. In the future chapters, there are triggers. It will be in the later chapters and be reoccurring. Please if at anytime you feel upset, stop reading. I don't want to hurt anyone. I wrote this story for fun. All in all, I hope you give me a chance and continue! Enjoy, fellow Rebel. Stay Limitless.   
~FireNinjaDagger


	2. Phase I

"Go! Run!" my mother shouts, pushing me back. "Take your brother and don't ever look back." My father leans against the door trying to hold it close but he couldn't hold it forever. At some point, it would open and they would come in. They would come in and kill us. That's what we are told our whole lives anyway. Better Living Industries is not for Better Living. It's complicated and the explanation is above my head for me to understand but I do know that they are bad. They somehow found our hideout and the little peace we had is over. It's time to go. My brother and I are unregistered. They don't know my parents had two boys three years apart. If we all tried to escape, they would never stop looking for us and the more likely they would find out about my brother and I. Right now, it could only be me and Mikey. My mother lifted me into the cupboards and then Mikey. "No matter what you hear or see, don't stop. Keep running," she told us. Tears drip off her face and she kisses my forehead and my brothers. "We love you both. Remember that," she trembles, closing the cupboard doors and locking them. Her footsteps leave the cupboard and I hear my father scream her name. Shouting. Clambering. Arguments. Screams. Guns blasting. Thuds.  
I push my brother forward. "Let's go, Mikey," I whisper. I do my best to keep down my sobs. It's dark so he can't see me. He doesn't really know what's going on. But I do.

We have been down here quite often. We were told where to go in case of a need to escape. I just never thought I would actually have to use the tunnels for a real situation. It's a precaution. It's 100 feet or so away from their house. When I make it towards the exit, I speak out. The Draculoids were surrounding our home, paying no attention to our direction. I grab Mikey's hand and we run through the desert, taking cover with the dry shrubbery.   
"Where are we going?" Mikey asks. How can I answer this?  
"Uh, we're going for a walk," I reply.  
"Gerard? Why was mommy crying?" he asked.  
I don't answer him. How could I? He's only seven. I didn't have time to answer his little questions. I needed to figure out what we are going to do. We need a new shelter, a supply of food and clean water. Probably more things I'm forgetting. We never went over what to do after we got out of the house. Just get out and don't ever look back. This should have been established. The only thing we can do is continue forward.

 

It's been a long time since we left. The sun has moved from high overhead to hovering over the horizon. The patrol will soon be out. We must find a place to camp. I find a small crevasse that Mikey fits well in and a nearby tree with a sturdy branch I can rest in. My aching feet dangle over the branch. It's been a long day. I think about tomorrow. Should we stay or keep going? Where would we be going? How long can I keep Mikey going? He's stubborn and will only come willingly for so far.   
That is a problem for tomorrow. I will deal with it then. Now I'm getting my rest. But when I wake, it feels like I only closed my eyes for a moment. I wake to my brother screaming out and being carried away. They've found us. The man throws Mikey over his shoulders and carries him off to some van. No... I weigh two things in my head. Self-preservation and the love for my brother. A pang of guilt hits me for being selfish enough to think of leaving him. I jump from the tree and land hard on the ground. I pick up a stick and chase after the man. I had no plan. I blindly run into danger with one task. Get my brother back.

Mikey screams out for me. Nothing audible. Just babble to get my attention. I hear him loud and clear. Just as I catch up to the man, he turns around and faces me. He was tall and had dark shades on. He makes it to the van and the door slides open. A blonde girl with a green scarf over her face take Mikey and brings him into the van. He kicks at her but she ignores his tantrum.   
I ready my stick to slug him but my hit is ineffective. He grabs the stick from me and throws it behind him. I did not think this plan through. He grabs my wrist and hoists me into the van too. If I were alone, I would've put up the fight of my life. I wouldn't have left my tree if they hadn't saw me, but I was with Mikey and I wasn't going to go abandon him. I could never do that. When he slides the door closed and the van moves forward, I accept that we were taken. I sit solemnly, it's all over.   
"It's okay, kids. You're safe now that you're with us. We are going to take care of you," the man says.   
Sure you will. Like how you took care of our parents. I don't look at him. Mikey stops fighting when I sat next to him. Why did they make an effort to bring us in the car? They would've shot us already. "Are you guys injured? Has anyone seen you around? You two aren't registered with BL/ind so if they saw you, you should tell us. It's okay if they did. We just need to know."  
I think about this for a second. He is addressing BL/ind as someone else. Is this not them? Is that why we are still alive? They haven't shot us because they don't want to kill us and they mean what they say about taking care of us.  
"Um, no. No one saw us. Who are you guys?" I ask nervously.  
"I'm Steve. It's okay. Your mother sent a message right before you guys were attacked. We were scanning the approximate area of where you could have been and we found you two."   
They were going to help us. This wasn't the end after all. "Steve, where are we going?" I ask.  
He smiles. "Someplace safe. Did your parents ever tell you what they do for a living?" I shake my head. They never talked about where they went. Usually, they would alternate who would go and who would stay with us. There were some occasions at night where they tucked us into bed and told us they needed to go but would be back soon. They always came back. Now, they wouldn't...  
"Gerard, do you know who the Killjoys are?" I do.  
"Yes! Yes! I do!" Mikey says excitedly. "They are so cool. They protect us from BL/ind. They keep us safe." His eyes gleam up and then he snapped in realization. "Are we going there?"  
"Yes we are, little buddy," Steve says ruffling his hair.   
Mikey was bursting with excitement. We have seen the Killjoys doing their work once. We were at home when there was a loud explosion in the distance. It was at night and both of our parents were home then. They told us to stay in the house. They put on some masks and their jackets. They ran outside to see what was happening. That was about two months ago. We were almost discovered then. BL/ind found out where we were and came to get us but the Killjoys picked up the message. Thank goodness they did or we would have lost those two extra months of peace. Mikey and I were behind a desk. A few Draculoids made it inside the house but the Killjoys got them and we were okay. Mikey was moved by them and started imitating their moves. I didn't know what to put it. It was the first time I saw what was happening in the world close up. I considered it to be fictional. Something not actually true. The Killjoys are rebels. They are the greatest of the great. I didn't consider it to be something I could be a part of. It's a dream. Now, here I am on the way to the Killjoy Rebel Base without my parents.

It wasn't as big and as fancy as you would think of. High tech building with guards and gates. Nothing like that. It's a run down diner. The windows are grimy, some broken and a board nailed over it. The door is broken and couldn't close properly. It's covered with graffiti.   
"Welcome to the Killjoy Rebel base," Steve said. He slides open the door and gets out first. I hop out and then Mikey comes with. The woman gets out and talks on some radio. A garage door opens and the driver takes the van in.   
"This is it?" Mikey says. He looked quite disappointed.   
"Yes, but don't worry," Steve replies. "It looks like this on the outside so BL/ind doesn't think this is our base. Come on. I'll show you the inside."  
I take my brother's hand and Steve leads us inside. The diner is a lot bigger than it appeared on the inside.   
The booths are in good condition and the counter is clean. There is a wall of steel that lines the wall of the counter. There are small dents. There must be shootings coming from here and this is where they take cover. Against the wall are shelves stocked with canned food and bottled water and a small kitchen in the back. There's a wall missing revealing the garage. The van is alongside three other vehicles.   
Steve leads us behind the counter. There is a staircase leading downstairs, which is huge. It's the whole get up. Training arena, shooting range, weapons modifier, computer system, radio station, maps, and a medical treatment area. This is the Killjoy Base, not some run down diner. Further down is another garage. Two cars with the hoods popped up are being worked on and a driving course lies ahead. This place is what you imagine. Another staircase leads down more stairs. Deep underground is a hallway dimly lit. There is a bunk room for adults and a bunk room for children. Lockers for personal storage line the wall of the hallways.   
Yesterday, I thought it was over for us. We would be stuck in the zones until we finally dropped dead. Now that surviving isn't the main problem, the loss of my parents hits me hard. Everything has changed so drastically.

I am eating breakfast and after we finish, Mikey and I go outside. There is radio static coming from the house and our parents call us in. Our father shuts the door behind us and bolts it locked. He tells us to go to mom. She stands clutching the radio speaking into it, desperation in her shaky voice. "Please, we don't have much time." Static reply. "They are coming for us. We can't leave or they will see the boys." More static. A small sigh from my mother. "Roger, over," she whispers.  
The radio is precious to my parents. We are forbidden to touch it. They greatly feared it would break. Tape covers the brittle antenna. The colored paint has long shipped off and faded; it now remains a black. Cracks run through the box, switches are missing, and dried putty and rubber bands hold most of it together. This radio is their third child.  
My mother tenses up and smashes the radio against the wall. Being so fragile, it shatters on impact. The pieces crumble from her finger and onto the floor. Mikey and I exchange nervous looks. We are both in shock of what she just did. The radio they spent hours tentatively fixing and worrying about is now destroyed intentionally. She turns to us and takes us to the cupboards. Once we are in, she locks them shut.

A strike of grief hits me. There was time. So what we were in danger. At least we would still have a family. Why did they leave us? They should have taken us the second they sensed danger. They should've taken us here. We had no car but we could have gotten a head start. BL/ind would sweep the house for signs of us still there. By the time they started following us, they Killjoys could have met us in the zones and taken us to the base. We could've made it all together. But that's not what happened. It's now only me and my brother.

We get assigned a bunk. I take the bottom and Mikey gets the top. The blonde girl from the van comes over and gets our lockers. "Hi, I'm Bonnie," she says. I get C 19 and Mikey C 20. She holds a handheld computer and connects it to the locker's scanner. Bonnie takes my hand and places my thumb on the small screen. It examines my thumb and the console lights up and the locker clicks. The door slowly swings opens. "This will be your locker, Gerard. When you place your thumb here, it scans your fingerprint and it opens only for you." She sets up Mikey's locker. After it's done, she leaves. Mikey has fun opening and closing the door.  
Inside there a hook for a jacket, the bottom, drawers for shoes, a shelf for clothes, and a space at the top for other things. Not that we have anything. Well, not yet at least.  
Bonnie comes back without the console and she leads us up to the main floor. Steve is waiting for us with another man. Tall and dark hair, like Steve. He wears an old leather jacket. "This is Alec," Steve says. "He is in charge of the radio station. He will help you guys."  
Alec leads us upstairs to the dinner. "Boys, welcome to the Base. We are going to get you acquainted with everything here. We have some clothes for you." Alec opens a closet. Jackets, all different styles, and sizes. "Take your pick."  
I look through the options. Mikey looks through the lot of them. I take a gray one. It didn't quite fit. The sleeves are too long and it's baggy but I'd grow into it. Mike goes to the other side where the adult jackets are and picks a red one with thin, black curves edging the lining and on the sleeve, it has a patch that says 'Kobra". He puts it on and it drapes over him. It's way too big for even me, not at all practical.  
Alec laughs. "You really want that one?" Mikey set his heart on it. I doubt he will get it taken away from him. "Well, by the time you'll really need it, it would fit a lot better. You can have that one. You won't have to exchange then," Alec says. Do we exchange jackets? I guess that makes sense. Mine is big on me now and it will eventually fit, but it will eventually be too small. There are pants, shirt, glove, scarfs, masks, glasses etc. all piled on top of each other in boxes. I take a few pairs of jeans and some shirts. We go back down to our lockers and story away out clothes.  
"Gerard," Alec calls. We go down to the lockers for adults. They are much taller, wider and instead of the letter being C, it's A. He plugs something into the lock and the door clicks. He opens it. Inside is a bunch of clothes, a knife, and boots. He takes them out and hands me the knife. "Can I trust you can handle this? It was your fathers."  
My father was a part of this. Two lockers over, he does the same thing. He opens the door with some electronic key. More clothes. The top had a pair of sunglasses. He handed them to Mikey. "These were your mothers. Take good care of them." She was a part of this too. They could've escaped our home. They could've taken us here. But they didn't. They died instead. The empty void that was ripped out of me slowly started to fill with anger.

We go to our bunks. Alec comes in with us. "One more important thing you need to do for today," he says. "BL/ind has forms of registered people of Battery City. These forms say who is out there, how old they are, their family history, and whether or not they are a part of BL/ind, a citizen or a rebel. The reason you two escaped easily is because you are not registered. Your identities are unknown to them, which is incredibly good. Both of you are very lucky."  
This is the reason our parents stayed behind. They didn't want to risk us becoming discovered.   
"So you must keep that a secret. BL/ind doesn't know about you two or a lot of the Killjoys. If it were to be compromised, your lives would change and so would your association. So you must keep it a secret. If there is ever a Draculoid at the Base or where ever, do not call us by our real names."  
"What do we call you then? I ask.  
Alec smiles. "By our code names. I am Dr. Crash Pilot. Whoever is in charge gets the title 'Dr'. My assistant Steve is Death Defying. Have you met Bonnie?" Mikey and I both nod. "She is Agent After. There are code names for everyone here at the base. You will meet them and learn both names. It'll become a second habit. But what we need is for you to come up with your own names."  
My own name? I'm Gerard. That's that. I can't have my own name. I'm not very good at coming up with this. There's Crash Pilot, Death Defying and After Agent. I can't come up with something like that.  
Mikey was admiring his jacket. "Kobra!" he shouted. Kobra from his jacket.  
"Kobra Kid," I whisper smirking.  
"That's good," Alec says. "Kobra Kid, and what about you?"  
Yeah, what about me? Mikey was inspired for his name by his jacket. I glance over mine. There was the word "Poison" etched in the cuff. That's not good. What's the opposite of poison? Life. Living. Fun....  
"Party," I murmur. "Party Poison."  
"Party Poison and Kobra Kid."


	3. Fun Ghoul And The Rebels

The dim lights overhead turn on and the faint buzz from electric current runs. There are a handful of children here, ages ranging from 6-14. After you turn 15, you are officially an adult and move to the next bunker room and transfer your belongings into a different locker. I have four years here. I have time to make myself situated.   
A cute boy next to me climbs down from the top bunk. His jet black hair matches his enchanting hazel eyes. I've seen him around. He works on the computers with Bonnie. I doubt they're related. Her tanned skin, platinum hair and green eyes look nothing like him. The boy looks around my age. He has a green shirt on. "You're the new kid?" he asks.  
"Yeah, they told you?" I ask.  
He shrugs. "News is the chatter. Who's on our side? Any casualties? What's the status on BL/ind? That kinda stuff. Anything else isn't much to talk about." I nod. The boy sticks his hand out at me. "I'm Frank, code name Fun Ghoul. You?"  
I smile a little bit. Frank? I like that name and he had a cool code name too. "Gerard, Party Poison. And up there is my kid brother Mikey." I say. I take his hand and we shake. "So, Frank, how long have you been here?" I ask nervously. I don't know what is okay to ask or not if the news is the only thing they really talk about.   
Frank stands still for a moment. "Well, my mother was injured when she was carrying me. She died before I was even born but I was okay so they operated on her after she died and yeah. My pops didn't know what to do but he did his best. We wandered in the zones scavenging for whatever we could use or eat. Then we were found and couldn't run. They took us and questioned my father. I didn't see him for a few days while he was tested. Then when we were cleared they took us here. That was a few years back."  
"What does your dad do here?" I whisper. I feel that I am treading dangerous water asking that question but I asked anyway.   
"Before the apocalypse and the rising of BL/ind, my pops worked at some tech company. He knows all the computer mechanics and programming. He easily became the computer technician here. He taught me everything I know about computers. I am a trainee."  
"That sounds exciting. My parents are..." I stop myself and take a breath. "My parents were Killjoy Fighters. They never told us, though, because Mikey and I are unregistered."  
"That's really good. You are very lucky," Frank said in awe.  
"People keep telling us that but I don't understand why."  
"My pops registered when BL/ind came to power. My mother didn't and she asked him not to register me. He wasn't for it but he kept his promise after she died. It was no longer negotiable and he didn't want to deny her wish without her consent."  
"Well, your dad seems to do well if he's the computer technician here. Why is it so bad?"  
Frank looked at me. "BL/ind had him on the record. He was marked. And if he isn't working for BL/ind and not a present civilian there, that means he is against because if you support them, you would have been working or living there already. Registered means that they know you are out there, know everything about you and put a threat to everyone else. They found us and injured my mother. He was registered and they knew he was married."  
"So they kill you basically and put a threat to everyone else."  
"Almost a year ago, he went missing. We looked for months. He was a valuable asset and a father and he took care of everyone. After three months, they found his Jacket. The sleeves were burned, shot, and tattered. There was a bullet hole over where his heart would be. That was it. He was dead and the only thing we could find that's left of him was his jacket in horrible condition. They gave it to me and my friend patched up the hole with some T%t patch and cut off the tattered fabric. It looks like a nice vest. It's going to be my jacket when I'm older."  
That's what happens when you are registered. They kill you and anyone you are associated with. They know.

 

First things first, we must know the place. We go over everything again where all our supplies is located. Mikey and I must memorize where it is. It takes about an hour but we know the way around the dinner like our old home. Then we talk about protocol. If Draculoids were to come into the dinner we go on shut down. We take cover with the other children in our bunker. When all children are in the Bunker, it's sealed tight and the outside looks like it's a wall not a door. We stay quiet while they kill the Draculoids. Any Draculoid that has stumble across the dinner and started investigated was killed. That is why it is off the grid, if someone finds it, they won't survive. Once we are 15, we train for a specific job. There are many. You could be a radio trainee and become the next Dr. in line. There are scouts, fighters, technicians, drivers, the computer technician and their trainees, strategists, nurses, messengers, surveyors, etc. With a year of training, we officially become a Killjoy. I think about all the different jobs. I know that Mikey would start with learning to be a fighter but it's hard to say if he will get that job. He is scrawny and doesn't know how to defend himself with the example of yesterday morning when we thought we were found. But on the other hand, he is only seven and this is the place to learn. He has eight years to figure everything out, plus another year to actually be a Killjoy.   
I have no idea what I am going to do. Nothing in particular stands out to me. Scouting requires to be capable of living in the zones by yourself or with one person if you're lucky to get a partner for months or years at a time. Survival skills must be something you are great at. Fighters must have great physical strength and technique. They must be capable of protecting everyone in the group. Computer technicians and just the technicians must know something about technology but I grew up in a house with candles, oil lamps and everything we had we either build or made from scratch or we found it. The radio was the one thing electronic in our home but I wasn't even allowed to touch it. Driver, well, they first must know how to drive and I don't. Strategists are smart and can form brilliant plans. I am not good under pressure. I could barely decide what to do after Mikey and I fled the house. Nurses need to save lives, treat the sick and wounded. I've never seen a person dying but I doubt I could rely on myself to save their life on an operating table. It's one thing in the field. In the field, it's possible but as a doctor, that's a whole different story of impossible for me. I hope that there are a lot of positions and I'll be capable of at least one of them.   
We start off in the survival part. Plants to eat, how to find water, how to tell the time of day, tell which way north is, how to set up camp for the night. This is a training course of a week. Towards the end, I think I won't be completely helpless left in the zones.

After the survival part is over, we can learn about whatever we choose. I have more access to the skills than Mikey. If you are under ten, you can't drive, shoot, modify weapons, or fight as a safety precaution. Over ten, you can. I decide to stick with the things Mikey can do so he isn't alone. I would feel horrible if my older brother left me by myself to do things I couldn't. I wasn't going to leave him. Once he makes some friends and he can manage without me, I'll look at the other skills. For now, we study maps. The zones of California and where the base is, Draculoid hot spots, where near water is, vacant factories filled with abandoned supplies we use, and where BL/ind is located. We must stay clear of there at all costs. If you go near that building, you will get caught. It's a death wish. I make myself promise to never let myself or Mikey go a mile near BL/ind.

After a month, we seem to fit in feel. Frank and I have become really close. We know about most of each other's lives before we came here, our skills, and little things about ourselves in general. We hang out together at meals and train together. His best friend is nice. Woody has short cropped black hair making him look a few years older. He could pass as Frank's older brother. Woody's parents abandoned him when he was a toddler. Draculoids were coming for them and they couldn't keep going with a kid. They dropped him off at the diner and left. Another kid named Ray hangs out with us. He is the smartest kid here and he is my age. He has a perfect in the strategist skill and he is asked by adults a lot of times what to do in situations and he will come up with genius plans that work.   
Mikey has his own friend group. Addison and Cole. Addison has light brown hair she wears in two braids. Cole has green eyes peek through his black bangs. This kid covers his face so much I don't know what he actually looks like. The three of them get along well and I can train with my friends.   
Frank takes my hand unexpectedly. I look at him nervously but he just smiles and leads me over to the weapons modifier. Alec is over getting his blaster adjusted. He sees us. "So, Gerard? You're ready for a blaster?"  
"Yes, sir," I reply.  
Alec smiles. He takes his gun and walks out and over to the radio station. He ruffles my hair when he passes. The guy over there has an arrangement of guns. "What color would you like, son?" the man asks. He takes out a bunch of sample color cards. There is every color of the rainbow. I scan the cards and one pops out at me. I pick up a yellow card and give it to the man. "That's Canary." He goes back to a cabinet and takes out a pure white blaster. He measures my hand to the gun then makes adjustments. He rolls the barrel off then flips in around. It clicks in place and he slides the handle up than forward. It clicks then locks firmly. He goes behind a counter and takes out a can. He sprays the gun and it turns to the bright, golden color. He transfers it into some case and closes it. He comes back over. "It'll be done in about five minutes, son. Go over to the shooting range and learn the rules. By the time you are ready, you will have something.   
Frank and I go over to the range. Woody and Ray are already there. There were targets at varying distances away. Some 10 feet others 100 feet. Ray and Woody were at the 20 feet mark. Woody makes it to the middle ring but Ray hits dead center every blast. Frank takes out his green blaster and goes over to the 15 mark. He shoots dead center of the blaster. "Still got it," he chuckles.   
I read the sign about the rules. Don't aim at any person. Don't point at yourself. Turn off the safety before firing. How to hold the blaster properly. Etc.   
I go back over to the gun just as he is taking out my gun. He checks it and then hands it to me. It fits well in my hands. The man smiles. "Now, son, if it gets too small to hold and needs adjustments or if you just want a color change, then bring it over." I nod.  
When I make it back to the range Frank sees me. "Hey, that's wicked!"   
"Yeah, it is." I hold it properly and then stand at the 10-foot mark. I fire and completely miss the target. I stand there disappointed.   
"Don't feel bad Gerard. It takes more than one hit to get it right," Frank says. "Today, just concentrate on hitting the target."  
I fire again and this time farther away than before. I fire again and again. I move my arms slightly in the direction of where I need to aim and on the sixth or seventh blast, It hit the outer end of the target. I look at Frank and he smiles. "You hit it!" he exclaims jumping in the air. He's more excited than I am. I smile and try again but miss, only slightly, though. I keep practicing and figure out how to aim accurately. I pass 10 and 15. I am scoring in the 80 percentile for 20 feet range. Tomorrow will be more shooting. I make in downstairs and store my blaster in my locker on the top shelf. I make it to my bed. Mikey is already up in the top. Addison is two beds over. She and Mikey were pretending to be driving cars, racing each other. Cole sits in his bed which is across the aisle. He makes commentary as the announcer of the race. The three of them laugh.  
Frank sits on his bed and we talk. "You're getting pretty good at shooting. Passed two ranges in on your first day."  
I smile. "I take it that's good," I say.  
"You're pretty good. Almost as good as me and Ray."  
"Ray is good at everything," I say. "And you have a knack at anything electronic. Technology, blasters, cars, the computer system. You even fixed a hand radio!"  
"Yeah, I am the best," he says, "but only with things that are electronic. You tell me to be a Surveyor or a Scout, I would fail. And I can't do everything to do with cars. Sure, if the engine needs a tune up, or the battery is dead, I can tell you how to fix it. But I have tried the driving course and it is not something I can do."  
"Seriously?" I ask shocked. I excepted him to know how to drive too. He looks like one of the kids that would be into going fast.   
"I'm telling you. I can turn up some engine models but if I need to drive, I can't do it. The pedals are confusing, I don't know when to shift stick, and the turning concept when going reverse, that's out of the question."  
"Well, you can do everything else, so it makes up for it."  
"Yeah, I guess. Tomorrow, we will work on shooting more." Frank lies down and pulls the covers up.  
"Definitely," I say. "Night."  
"Goodnight, Gee," he whispers. I can't help but smile at the nickname. 

When the lights turn on, it's time to get up. I crawl out and stand on the edge of the mattress. I reach up and shake Mikey away. "Hey, kiddo. It's time to wake up," I whisper. Mikey sits up and stares at me. His dark hair stands up. I chuckle. "Let's go."  
He climbs out of the bed and comes down. We go to our lockers and take out a new outfit. We change by our bank as does everyone else. Today we were going to the river to wash our clothes. Once a week job. We have enough pairs to make it through. We also get to wash. Boys go in the morning. Girls go in the evening. The hike to the river is about a mile.  
I wait for Frank to hurry up. He takes the time to comb his hair. We take our stuff upstairs and eat breakfast. They distribute different cans out. I get some chicken soup. We find a booth and sit with Ray and Woody. I make sure Mikey has a seat but when he is with Cole and Addison, I turn back to my friends. We pass around a can opener while making small chat about when we are going to do today. We decide to keep up on our shooting since that will be the most important thing. No matter what skill becomes your job, you must know how to shoot, although it can vary on how well you have to shoot. If you become a scout, shooting is vital. Out alone in the zones, you can stumble across Draculoids at any moment. If you aren't able to shoot, then being a scout, scavenger, messenger, or a guard isn't something you should too because then shooting is a mandatory skill. Now a technician, strategist, or the computer technician you don't necessarily need to be a crack shot. At this point, I'm not sure what I should train for. I tell myself I have plenty of time but it still bothers me. I know Mikey will turn out to be a fighter. He has the energy and the enthusiasm like one. Frank will become a technician like his father thought he would be. Ray will definitely be a strategist. He's brilliant but then again, Ray can become anything he wants. Woody wants to be a scout or a messenger. He wants to travel around and explore the zones. I don't know what I want. Sure, I know my way around the maps but a surveyor doesn't sound like something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I couldn't rely on myself being a fighter. If I were to fail, that could cost someone their life. I would never live with myself. Scouting, scavenging and being a messenger isn't right for me either. I like making roots. I don't want to constantly be on the run and move, always looking behind my shoulder. I don't want to depend on survival skills and being solo. Loneliness is the world's worst kind of pain for me. I don't want to feel alone.   
After breakfast, we grab our bags and get in the cars. We drive off to the river bank and make it there in a minute. The cool water sparkles in the morning sun. We throw our bags in and let them soak. Mikey and Cole race around the edge. They collide into each other and fall in together. They come up laughing. Static breaks over on the comes. "Quiet everyone!" Steve yells. Everyone with a radio listens. It's so quiet that you can hear the water sloshing. Over the static, I can barely make out the words. You learn to get an ear for reading the static and hearing the radio manager's voice. The first time I heard a radio was my mother holding it in her hands right before she destroyed it. At the time, all I heard was white noise. Now I hear Alec's voice. Something Draculoids something car something driving fast something hide. It isn't the whole message but I knew enough before anyone had to say it. Draculoids are coming fast in one of their cars and we need to hide.

Steve and the other Killjoys throw the minors into the river bank. "Stay down and if you hear anyone, submerge!" someone yells. Draculoids are coming in our direction possibly. This would be the first time I've seen them in three or four months. It's not something you look forward to; it's something you dread.   
I look around for Mikey. I spot him a few feet down and paddle over to him. "Party Poison!" Frank yells, grabbing my arm. I look at him for a second confused but then I remember he's talking to me. I forgot about that. We are officially in a threat zone and out code names are in use. "Where are you going?"  
Mikey and Cole swim over to me. I wrap my arms around my brother and hug him tight. "Nowhere," I say. We all crouch and stay silent. The Killjoys put on their masks and take out their blasters. I look for mine and spot the canary yellow in my bag. It's too late to run out and get it. I'll be scolded at if I do. If I really need it, I'll get it. Ray and Frank have there's in their hands. It looks like they have been modified where water doesn't ruin them. I shouldn't have taken it off my belt then.   
We all wait. There is a handful of us, not much armed. Ray is probably the best shooter. Frank knows how to shoot too. If I had my gun, I could do some damage... but only if they were in close range and not moving. We continue to wait. Mikey looks at me. He doesn't say anything but I know he wants to ask me what's going on but I won't have an answer. I do my best to just comfort him.   
A car engine breaks the silence. Is it the Killjoys or is it the Draculoids? We look around and all silently agree to go under. I hold my breath and submerge. Part of me was very calm and the other part aggressively confused. I was very calm and but irritated at myself for being this calm. I should be freaking out but I'm not. I wait for the fear to hit but none does. I think to myself and I believe that the Killjoys are here. I'm calm because I believe we are all safe, but it doesn't feel right. I feel like we all are in danger. Shots fire into the water. I should have been panicking. I was right. We get out of the water and the kids with blasters start shooting the Draculoids. White suits and Halloween masks. I get out of the water and run to get my gun. Something burns my right shoulder and I let out a cry. It's smoldering. It stings so bad my eyes start watering. The pain is excruciating. This is what it feels like to get shot with a ray blaster. I pick up my gun when another blast shoots right past me skimming my neck. I yell in agony. I fumble with the trigger in my left hand and shoot a Draculoid in the knee. They fall over and Frank shoots them.   
"Party, you're hurt," Frank says distressed. He has a mask over his mouth. I really need some sort of disguise. I'm not about to argue with him about how I'll be fine because I don't feel like I'll be okay. My shoulder is smoking and my neck is burning. Frank stands in front of me and shoots at Draculoids that are around. With my left hand, I fumble and sloppily hit some Draculoids Frank doesn't hit. Two vehicles speed towards us. More than we can handle. This is the end.   
The cars stop and the doors fly open. We are going to die. But it's not more Draculoids, it's the Killjoys that are here. They hijacked the other two vehicles and start shooting at the vampires. They fall to the ground. They are hopelessly outnumbered and they all fall to the ground dead. There are a few wounded children. My heart drops when it hits me that Mikey is not at my side.  
I try to get up but Frank doesn't let me. "I'll find your brother. You stay here. He gets up and runs to the river bank, avoiding the fallen bodies. He helps a little kid out of the river bank but it's not Mikey. He looks down and my thoughts race. Please don't be dead. Please. I need you. Now I feel the panic. Anxiety pulses through me. Frank pulls up another kid. Cole. Maybe he was with him and if Cole is still alive, then Mikey should be too. Frank pulls up another child. My brother. A huge weight lifts off my shoulders. Mikey runs over to me.   
With my good arm, I hug him. "I'm so sorry I left you," I whisper.   
Mikey's eyes are wide, but not filled with fear. Excitement. "Did you see the way they get rid of all the Draculoids? That was so cool!" I smile. 

"Yeah, it sure was cool, Kid. I'm glad you're okay." I hug him again with my good arm and look at Frank, our eyes lock. "Thank you," I mouth. Frank smiles at me and nods.


	4. Official

I step at the 100-foot mark, raise my gun up, and fire. The blast flies down the range and hits the target. The inner ring blackens and smoke rises. Frank jumps up at me. "That was a great shot, Gee!"   
I smile a little. "Yeah, first try." I had a particularly good aim with a gun. I adjust myself and fire again. This time it hits dead center. This is what I am good at. Shooting. It may not be an actual job but at least there is something I can do. My birthday is tomorrow. I'll be 14. I will only have one more year left until I am officially a Killjoy and then I will need a job. Frank tried teaching me to be a technician. I understand the basics, which is what you should know, but when it comes to actually complicated tasks like hacking or even weapons modifying, I can't do it. Frank is a genius and I admire watching him concentrate on a computer screen. I would rather him do it than me. He enjoys doing it as I enjoy watching him do it. He knows how to fix radios, hack into BL/ind tech and a bunch of other things too complicated for me to explain. Being a tech is the one thing I was hoping I knew how to do. I want to work with Frank. The one thing I hope is that we are in the same unit or something because then there is a chance I can work with him. If he becomes a technician for the radio, then I can't work with him unless I learn this wire stuff fast.   
I'm pretty decent at everything. I know the hand to hand combat moves and how to get out of choke holds. Of course in the heat of the moment, I feel like I'd doubt my ability and die. Mikey knows how to fight. For being 11, he can kick ass. He uses his size as a strength and is very agile. He will be a great fighter when he turns 15.   
The only thing I hate a lot is surveying and driving. I know the maps. I know where everything is but I don't like checking maps and analyzing the drawing grids. It's all boring and dull. People that enjoy doing that must enjoy everything about life because that is not enjoyable. Driving is also horrible. I have never actually driven a car but the procedure is the worst. I can feel time melting as we go over the lesson. I wish Ray and Woody didn't sign us up. We have to sit through this for two hours each day. I fall asleep without a doubt. The actual driving part will be a disaster. I just have developed this hatred because of the lessons.   
Frank, Woody, Ray and I go outside. We stand in the front of the base and look out in the distance. The zones go on forever. Ray points in the distance to the left. "There, that's our target," he says. I squint my eyes. I can barely make out the silhouette of a cactus. We take turns firing at it.  
I concentrate on aiming. Woody, Ray, Frank and I go in line shooting. We miss the first and second round but on the third round, Ray hits the edge. We keep going and forget about taking turns. We all blast at the same time. Ray shoots the edge again and then he steps back. "I've hit my share," he says. Woody concentrates but gets frustrated and gives up. It's just between Frank and I. After five shots or so the cactus is hit in the dead center and explodes. I jump up in excitement and so does Frank.   
"I shot it!" he says.  
I look at him. "No, that was me!"  
Frank looks at me and smiles. "I fired that one Gee. It was me!"  
"No, I did," I laugh.  
Frank looks down and shakes his head. "Party Poison, let's call it a truce. We both shot it. We are equally matched." He holds out his hand. I take it and shake. I don't know what happened but for some reason, I didn't want to let go of his hand and by the way, Frank kept holding it, he didn't want to let go either.

 

I am shaken awake before the radio even goes off. Frank stands over my bed holding a box tied up with a bow. "Happy Birthday, Gee!" he says smiling and beaming with excitement. Oh yeah...  
I sit up and brush my hair out of my eyes. It's out grown but I like it this way. Frank hands me the box and I untie the bow and take off the lid. Inside is a bright yellow mask that matches the color of my blaster. There are blue circles on the outer side and black diamonds over the eye sockets. "Thank you, Frank," I say. I try on the mask. It's a little loose but I'll be able to continue wearing this when I'm older. When I become an official Killjoy, I'll need this. I get out of bed and hesitate to hug him. Frank looks at me and I decide why not. I wrap my arms our him. "I love it," I say.   
Frank hugs me back. "That's good, I was worried you wouldn't like it," he chuckles relieved.  
I look at him. "Are you kidding? This is great!" I lift up the mask and leave it resting on top of my head. I look at Frank nervously and hug him again. I feel his heart beating.   
The radio goes off. "Look alive, sunshine..." it continues and the others start to wake up. Frank lets go of me and Woody comes over. "Hey, guys," he says. He looks at me. "Happy birthday, Gerard."   
I smile. "Thanks, Wood." He turns around to go to his locker and Frank goes with him. Woody is a good guy. I like him. He's funny and smart and the best surveyor at our age but this small part of me hated him. No, not hate. More like... is jealous of him? Those two are best friends but I have been here for 4 years. Frank and I are tight but so is he and Woody. Is he his best friend or am I? Frank would never pick between the two of us. He wouldn't. I just wished I was his best friend even though I am his best friend. That doesn't make sense. I just want... What do I want?   
I think about what I want. What's the word for it...? An idea comes to my mind. Is that what I want? No, it better not be. That would ruin everything and I couldn't let that happen. No, it's not right. I shove the thought in the back of my head and leave the room. I open my locker and put the mask inside. I get dress and put on my jacket. It is a tight fit and the sleeves show my wrists. I then meet up with Ray and we go to breakfast together.   
"So, you ready for the course?" Ray asks.  
Course? Oh, crap. Driving course. I don't want to go driving. "Yeah, I guess," I say bummed out.   
Mikey runs over to our table. "Happy birthday, Gerard!" he shouts happily. I hug him and lift him off the ground. "Too tight!" he squeals.  
I laugh as I put him down. I ruffle his hair around. His bangs have been out grown. Ray slides an opened can next to me. I grab a spoon and eat the stew. Mikey goes back over to his table with Addison and Cole right as Woody and Frank walk over. I scoot over for Frank to sit next to me. He sits next to me and across, Woody sits next to Ray. We finish our meal and head outside. I resentfully go to the garage with the others. We step in and see and guy wiping oil off his hands with an old rag.   
"You boys driving today. Right?"  
"Yeah," Ray confirms.   
The guy opens the garage door and gets a car ready. "Okay, who's going first?"  
"It's Gee's birthday!" Frank says. "He should go first." I snap my head at him. Seriously, Frank?

I sit in the driver's seat adjusting the review mirror. I get the seat belt and clip it in. "Good job with the adjustments. You remember the rules?" the guy asks.  
"More or less," I mutter.   
"That should be fine. It's not a complicated procedure. If you are meant to be a driver, after the first few minutes, you will get the hang of it. Just remember that you aren't immortal and don't overcompensate it,"  
"Got it." I turn the key in the ignition and the engine roars to life. I put my foot on the breaks and shift into drive. I let go of the breaks and we move forward.   
"Test the breaks. Get a feel for how much pressure is needed," he says. I press down and we jolt to a stop. It just needs a tap. I try again and this time, it's much more smooth. "Good, now accelerate." I move my foot to the gas and press down. We start going faster. With the windows rolled down, I feel the cool breeze. "Alright. Turn." I turned the wheel and we start going left. I turn the other way and we go right. "You seem to know what you're doing at 30 mph. See how fast you can handle. Only slow down if you feel uneasy. If you can keep going, keep going."  
I press down on the accelerator. 40 mph. I hold the wheel firm. 50 mph. The rough terrain rocks the car around. 60 mph. The wind whips my hair. 70 mph. My hands start shaking as I keep the car steady. I don't dare go faster.   
The guy looks over at me. I don't take my eyes off the road. "You are doing pretty well. Above average."  
"What was the best record?" I ask.  
"Oh, for a kid's first day. The record was 118 mph." I laugh. I could beat that, right? Maybe for once, I can be better than Ray. I am a great shooter, but so is Frank and Ray and Woody isn't that far behind. Ray is great at everything. Frank is so smart and brilliant when it comes to technology. Woody knows the map of Battery City like the back of his hand. Hell, even my kid brother is shaping up to be a great fighter after only a year. I need to be something. I need something that defines me as good. This isn't bad as bad as I judged it. I like the adrenaline rush of driving. I will be the best driver the Killjoys ever have.   
I hit the gas so fast that the guy and I lean back against the seats and out heads plaster to the headrest. 90 mph. I can do this. The tree lines blur past. There is a slight curve on the track. Time to turn back to the base. My session is half over. I slow down, but not close to as much as I should. I stick at 80. The car hovers close to the edge of the track. I turn just enough to correct my path but not too much to flip the whole vehicle over. I keep accelerating. Back at 90 mph. As the needle near the 100 mark, the guy says. "You're friend called you Gee? What's it stand for?"  
100 mph. "Gerard!" I say.  
"You're Gerard? As in Gerard Way?" 103 mph  
"You know me?" 105 mph.  
"Your father was my best friend." 109 mph.  
"You knew my dad?" 111 mph.  
"Yeah, we were tight but when BL/ind came to power, we joined the killjoys together. We grew apart as he trained for a fighter and I was a technician specializing in car engines. We still respected each other. Last time we really bonded was after he married a hotshot driver." 117 mph.  
"My mother was a driver?" I ask. 119 mph.   
"She was the greatest. And it looks like her son just broke her record." 

I hit 132 mph on the track. Frank only got 55. Woody got 86. Ray comes back around the track. When he gets out of the car, he smiles. "112! Almost beat the old record. But looks like Gerard obliterated that title," Ray says.   
I did it! I am the greatest driver. I hold a new record for the first day. That car can only go 140, but if I were to become a professional driver with a team that hunted Draculoids, I could have a specialized car with an engine capable of going 250. That's over a hundred miles faster than what I just went. Of course, it would be a long time before I got it. I'm not even an official Killjoy yet and I would need a team. I wouldn't want to leave my brother, or Frank or Ray. Part of me knows I should also be with Woody but I know that I would rather not work with him. What is it with me? Woody is a good guy but there is something about him that makes me wish he wasn't always around. He's better off as an acquaintance. I think about what I feel with him. I don't like him taking away Frank from me. Frank is my best friend. Why am I jealous? Get over it, I tell myself. You and Woody are both Frank's best friends.   
"So, Gee? You're going to be a driver!" Frank says excitedly.  
"Yeah, but I don't know. I don't want to leave Mikey or you guys."  
"Phh, Mikey's fine without you. You barely see him anyways. Only see in the morning, some training and at night. The kid's doing fine with Addison and Cole," Woody says.  
He meant no harm but I didn't like the way he said that. "Well, he is still my brother and my mother told me I had to watch over him."  
"He can take care of himself, though. He's 11."  
"I said I would take care of him. I can't negotiate that rule since she's-" I can't say it. I haven't said it aloud since it happened. I have buried it within me and I can't say it anymore. It's been too long and now is impossible.   
"Hey, I'm sorry, Gerard. I didn't mean to upset you," he says.  
"No, no don't worry about it," I say. I don't say anything else. I don't want to end up having to say he's right. "I still have a year to decide what to become. I don't have to be a driver."  
"Gee, you were amazing out there! You should totally train to be a driver!"  
I smile a little. Frank says I'm amazing. "I would be a driver leading a group to hunt down Draculoids. You guys would be here. I'll barely see you," I say.  
"Yeah, but you are a good driver. You don't waste good," Ray says.  
"Hypothetically, if I become a driver, then Frank would become a technician, Ray can become anything he wants to. Woody, you'd be a surveyor. We have a year until we need to decide," I say.  
"Only a year left to train before we're out in the field," Ray says.  
"Well, we shouldn't take our time for granted then," Frank says.  
"Hey, guys. I have an idea," Woody says. We turn to him. "Per say Gerard is right and we all become what we're good at. Ray, I think you should be a strategist. You've talked about it. You would be the best." Ray smiles. Woody is right. "I think we should become a team. Gerard would be the driver. Frank would be a technician. We would also have a strategist and I would be a surveyor. We'd be great together!"  
Definitely right. We would be unstoppable. I didn't like that Mikey would be at the base but he is old enough to take care of himself. He has Addison and Cole. He's 11. When I was 10, I had led him to escape Draculoids. He knows how to take care of himself. In a year, if I end up leaving him, he will turn out great. 

 

I take the jacket off the hook. It's a nice blue with thick red and white stripes. The red color matches my hair. I decided to get it dyed and I'm glad it did. It turned out great. I put it on. It's a little on the loose side but this is the jacket I wear when I'm 20. It's very comfortable and I like it a lot more than that old gray one.   
"I like this one," I tell Alec.   
He smiles. "Gerard, when you're out in the zones, watch your back. In the heat of the moment, you won't know what to expect. You're on your own now. You and your team. But you're never alone. I'll be here for you on the radio," he says. Frank has our radio, he is tuning it up.   
"Thanks, Alec,"  
"You're just like your mother," he says. I smile.  
I make it downstairs and find my brother. He and Cole fight an older kid. Mikey jumps up and kicks him and he falls back. Addison hands both of them a bottle of sports drink. Something that replenishes energy quicker than water does. Mikey sees me and steps off the arena. "Are you leaving?" he asks.  
I give a half smile. "I am, little buddy."  
Mikey looks down. "How long will you be on your mission?" he asks.  
"Well, this will be the first time I go out. It's a test run. They send us out for about a week to a month. We get a feel for being in the zones and working with each other. We find Draculoids and bounty hunters and we are going to eliminate them. We report back after the trial is over and we will see what our next mission will be."  
"You will be gone for a week?"   
"Yeah, a week to a month," I say. That isn't the hard part. The week trials are for those certain it'll work out. The month is extra time to decide. I have trained with these guys for years. We are a solid team. It's going to be a week trial I know. We already know what out results will be. When we report our progress back, our second mission will be very long. Deep in the zones.  
"I'm going to miss you, Gerard. Be careful"  
"I will miss you too but I'll have a radio and I will tell you I'm okay every night for seven days. On the eighth day, I will tell you in person."  
He hugs me. I hold my brother tight. This isn't a serious goodbye. I'll be back in a week. The next time I hug him goodbye, I will be parting for my second mission. I have a feeling that mission will be years long before my return. Maximum of three. I will be back for his fifteenth birthday. The others promised I won't miss it.   
I find Frank downstairs by his locker. The radio is clipped at his waist. "Hey, Frank," I say. He wears a black shirt with yellow sleeves. He takes out the vest he's been storing at the bottom of his locker for years after his dad died. He unzips it and puts it on. He starts to zip it up but I stop him. "No, I like it better open,"   
"Yeah? My dad always wore it zipped up," he says.  
"I think it looks better this way."  
Frank smiles. "Okay, I'll leave it this way."  
Ray comes over to us. "Hey, Gerard? They polished up the car,"  
I look over at him. "But, I did that yesterday."  
Ray chuckles and puts on his sunglasses. "Not that car we're getting. You're driving a race car." I look at him in bewilderment. "I'm not kidding you, Party. You can hit 250 mph on that ride."  
I can't believe it. I got one of those cars. Frank jumps in the air. "Gee, how about that?" He shuts his locker and we head upstairs.  
I unhook that mask from my belt and put it on my face. "What do you think?" I ask.  
Frank smiles. "You are a fabulous Killjoy!"  
"Watch out BL/ind. Party Poison and Fun Ghoul are coming!" we laugh together.  
Woody comes over. He has a helmet over his face. "Cheri Cola and Jet Star right beside!" he says. We head over to the garage and step outside. The car is parked right in front. There is a black widow pattern on the hood of the car and on the back, it says "LOOK ALIVE SUNSHINE". I get in the driver's seat and adjust everything. The dashboard shows the speedometer ranging all the way to 250. "Who shall be my copilot?" I ask. Ray would be the best option. He is a strategist and brilliant at that. I want him up front with me so I know what to do. I also didn't mind Frank. Being a technician, he could fix the car and stuff. Woody is a surveyor so he would know which way to go and be the navigator.  
"I think Ray should be up front," Frank says. "He's the Strategist so he should be up front to see what's ahead and tell you what to do."  
"Sweet," I say. Ray opens the door and gets in. Frank sits in the back behind me and Woody behind Ray. Ray takes out a book. It's something all Strategists carry around. A book with a bunch of pages. The first few are questionnaires and the rest is all blank. They write down what goes on, what we did, and the plans made. It asked things like whose on the team, their position, age, relatives, how they became a Killjoy, and things like that. Then the rest is a log. Ray starts filling it out.   
In the back, Frank has the radio hook on the back of my seat right in front of him and a handheld computer connected to some other tablet. Woody had his surveyor booklet and he studies the key and analyzes the map.   
Frank turns on the radio. Static breaks out but I have learned to listen for Alec's voice as he sends us off with the Killjoy motto. "The future is bulletproof and the aftermath is always secondary. It's time to do it now and do it loud. Killjoys, go make some noise."  
With that, I turn on the engine and shift into drive. Ray marks down. "Day 1: We drive away from the base." Frank checks our weapons in the back and Woody finds the route we will take. This is perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better team. I am glad all three of my fellow comrades stayed beside me. The needle makes it past 80 mph and that is only the beginning.

A/N: If you have lasted this long, congratulations! The actual story will be good now. Thank you all for the reads and comments! Keep running, Killjoys.  
~FireNinjaDagger


	5. Take Me From The Hospital Bed

I hold my blaster in my hands, finger over the trigger. Ray kneels next to me. We are on our way home when Frank tells us the readings he's getting says there are Draculoids coming in our direction. I drive the car down a steep incline and Ray helps me cover her up. Kemia Enamiĝo. Frank named the car. He got it from some foreign language, Esperanto I think? I don't recall the English translation for that matter. I just remember that I liked what the translation is and how it sounds. Frank and Woody went off to get a closer reading to report to Alec. They haven't returned in half an hour but I'm not worried. It takes time but after spending three years in the zones with my team, we become connected and in sync. We learn how to work together to the height of our abilities. It strengthened my trust with Woody after a month. I was wrong to feel jealous of him. He is my friend. He is a great guy and I learn to get over myself and enjoy his company genuinely. The zones aren't too bad. Once you know how to survive them, it becomes home. Where to look for water, food, and material. My first week driving out was nerve wrecking. Being 15, I was worried I wouldn't have the guts to kill or know how to live. But with those masks on and them shooting at us and the distinct memory of what they did to my parents, I found it wasn't as hard to pull the trigger as I thought it would be. It's either them or us, and I'm not about to give up my friends' life over an enemy stranger.   
Three years has given me a lot of experience. One of the biggest things I have to do is trust better judgment. If you feel someone behind you, look. If you feel a gun pointed at you, arm yourself. If you feel that the person you stumbled across is lying and waiting for you to turn your back so they can stab you, check for weapons and never leave them out of your sight. There is always a chance you can die. There could be a sniper aiming at the back of your head or a bomb with five seconds counting down as you unknowingly walk closer to it. This life runs the risk of death a lot higher than standard living. But BL/ind taking over and freedom or actual living isn't a choice. The Draculoids and Bounty hunter are not soldiers. What they are is a corrupt industry killing other to protect their rights of power. The price we fight as soldiers are possibly dying to protect someone else's rights to individuality and creativity.   
Ray takes out a scope and raises it above his head and over the ledge. "Looks like there isn't anybody there so the shooters are either hiding or they moved on," he says.  
"Why would they move on? If they saw Killjoys, they would hunt them down. Unless.." I trail off.   
Ray looks at me. "Party, you aren't saying you think they found them?"  
"It's been half an hour at least, maybe longer. I don't think they are captured but maybe they got distracted."  
Ray raises his gun and points it over the ledge the same time he peeks his head up for a second and ducks back down. "There isn't anyone. We might as well go while we still have a chance."  
I nod. We stand and raise our blasters. We hike over the ledge and start treading across the zones looking for any signs of life. We walk a great distance without any progress. We might as well be the only one for miles. Someone was shooting at us and Frank and Woody are still out here. "Maybe they ditched them but can't find us. Maybe they are back at the car?" I ask. Frank would want to get us back together. He doesn't like being split up because in a group we are strong. If we separate, we are easier to pick off.  
Ray considers this. "He would want to get us united and the only place we would go to for certain is the car. It would be the most logical place," he adds. "We might as well. And if they're not, we could wait for them or drive around. We will find them." We turn around and head back to the car but keep our weapons drawn. You also naturally learn your surrounding. The certain dead tree, a small ditch, or a large stick tell you where you're at. The valley where we parked Kemia comes in my line of sight.   
An explosion erupts from the valley and thick black smoke rise from the ditch. Shouts and blasts echo. A cry, Frankie screams out. Something inside me twists up at the sounds of Frank hurt. I don't have to look at Ray. We know there is bad trouble and we start running. My stomach knots up and my eyes sting as imagines of what I find below comes to my head.

As we approach the valley, I know that the smoke is coming from the engine. Ray and I start shooting the white suits. After a few fall to the ground, the rest know we are here. Ray and I duck out of the way as the other Draculoids and Bounty Hunters fire at us. We take cover behind a large boulder. Every few seconds, we take a few rogue shots. I can tell the difference between the blast hitting a person or not clearly. The person's body absorbs the blast and the sound while a miss lets the blast resonate the sound. We lean against the boulder ducking down for half a minute. We might have hit two or three on our surprise attack before they could respond. Maybe we killed four-five in total. They will eventually all get shot. I am not going to let it happen any other way. I peak my head out briefly and fire. I hit a Draculoid in the shoulder. I take a moment before firing again. When I turn to shoot, I immediately pull back behind cover as a blast flies passed me.   
In my peripheral vision, I see the white uniform on my right. They aim the gun at Ray. I instinctively grab his jacket and throw him to the side out of the way. The Draculoid still fires and I become the new target. I roll out of the way but I'm too close to avoid getting hit entirely. The blast hits my side and burns me. It burns so painfully. I forgot how excruciating it felt to be shot. I haven't taken a blast since I was 10. After 8 years, I still haven't gotten over the pain.   
While I lie on the ground, the Draculoid raises his gun again but he doesn't fire the next shots. Ray hits him dead. He looks over the rock, dodges a blast then fires twice. He doesn't fire again and no one returns shots.  
Ray looks at me. "Are you hit?" he asks.   
I remember the yelling. Frank and Woody are down there. "No," I lie, "let's go." My heart pounds in my chest. We were going to the base today. We were going to be safe. I start panicking. Frank and Woody could be dead. Frank screamed. I heard his voice. Adrenaline covers up the pain. I crawl towards the edge. I see many white uniforms on the ground. Woody is alive and for the most part well. Ray jumps down and runs over to him. Woody mutters something. He stands and sides steps towards the blazing car. He and Ray are covered in the thick smoke and I can't see what they are doing? I look for Frank. I scan the white uniforms but that's all I see. No Fun Ghoul.  
Ray and Woody start coughing. They wouldn't be in the smoke without a reason. I refuse to believe it. No. No. He's not in the car. I drag myself further over the ledge. Woody falls back out of the smoke and coughs out. He takes a breath and helps Ray. Ray falls back and wheezes. No. Please, no.   
Covered in black soot, I recognize Frankie. Underneath the black, he is bleeding out. He's bleeding out. Pain strikes me at the sight of Frank wounded so badly and I slip off the ledge and fall into the ditch. I crawl over to the others as they carry Frank away from Kemia. My vision blurs. They set him down and I grab his shoulders. "Fun Ghoul?" I shake him but his head bobs around. I feel the hot tears spill and I quickly wipe my eyes frantically. I wipe the soot off his face. I put my finger to his neck searching for a pulse. I can't find anything. My hands tremble and I hold him. "Please!" I beg. "Please, don't be dead. I need you." Ray checks his airways. He knows what he needs to do. I do too but I can't function.   
"Party, set him down." I gently lie him on the ground. Ray opens his eyelids and he opens his mouth looking for a clear airway. The look on his face said they weren't. I start shaking. Frank, please this can't be happening. I would never have let you guys go if I knew this would happen. I wasn't freaking out then. I was calm when they were missing. I should have been looking. If we got to the car sooner, we could have protected them.   
I slump over and feel extremely dizzy. I hold my side. My hands submerge in a warm sticky substance.   
Woody slides over near me. "Move your hands, Party Poison," he orders. I do my best to release pressure off my side. I clench my jaw tightly and hold back screams. The adrenaline no longer hides the pain. "You need medical attention. We need to get back to the base."  
Ray snaps his head over. "I asked if you were hit? You lied!"  
"We needed to help them. Frank screamed out. I needed to get to him," I say through my teeth.   
"You won't last long with the wound open. I need to cauterize it."  
My hands fumble to a pocket and Woody takes out my knife. He holds it out and points his blaster at the blade. Holding it at an angle, he shoots the blade a few times. The blasts reflect off and shoot away. Woody kneels at my side and looks at me sternly. He speaks slowly. "Five. Four. Three. T..." He presses it against my wound and I scream out. My fingers dig into the dirt and my feet kick around. He kneels on my arm and I can't move away. The pressure is applied harder and I can't take it anymore. With my free hand, I grab Frank's arm and pass out from the pain.

I toss to the side but jolt on my back. Pain jabs me. I've been shot. And then burned. Of course, it will hurt. I am in the medical area. I feel like someone is watching me. I'm usually right about my gut feeling. I look over and see Mikey staring at me throw the glass. How he has changed so much in just three years. His hair was cut differently. The bottom part a close trim but the rest of his hair was long and brushed back. It's was bleached to a pale blond. He didn't wear his glasses either. His jacket fit him more than it did when I last saw him.   
I do my best to smile. A nurse comes over and she scans a card and the doors slide open. He jogs over to me. Tears hover in his eyes. "Gerard, you're okay?" he asks worriedly.  
I brush his bangs back. "Of course I am."  
Mikey buries his face in my shoulder and I do my best to hug him. It hurt but I didn't care about the pain as much. "You said you would be home in three years just before my birthday. You said you would drive in. A truck towed the car in and doctors were working on you and Frank. What happened?  
"While we were heading home, we scanned BL/ind coming. We parked the car and split up for a bit. Ray and I went back to the car trying to find Woody and Frank when the car blew up while Frank was half sitting inside. Woody was throwing back from the explosion. Frank tried crawling out of the car when Draculoids started shooting him. Ray and I killed them all. I was hit on the side at point-blank."  
"Don't leave again," he said. "I don't want you to die. I don't want to be training one day and Alec comes over saying you were killed in action,"  
"Mikey, it's my job. I can't just stop."  
"Well, you need to be more careful."  
I smile. "I was pretty careful. For three years I was okay until the last day."  
Mikey hugs me. "It doesn't matter if it was the last day on your mission. It could have been your last day alive. That goes for the others too. Frank isn't doing to good."  
My stomach drops and my throat goes dry. I forgot that Frank's heart stopped. I remembered what happened but it didn't fully register until now. I can't imagine losing him. I fall back against the pillow. "Where is he?" I ask.  
"He's in a privet wing. Critical condition."  
"His heart stopped in the zones. I couldn't find a pulse and his airways were shut. He is still alive?" I ask. My voice shakes.   
"Barely alive. He's in a coma and slipping fast. The machines are doing more work to keep him alive than his body. Bonnie is in there constantly making sure that everything stays working because if they malfunction for just a minute, he's gone."  
I have trouble breathing. My best friend is on death bed. Best friend? That term doesn't do just what Frank means to me. He's more than a best friend. He's the most important person in my life, maybe after Mikey but still. "Mikey, do you think Bonnie would let us see him?"  
"We can find out right now." Mikey helps me up. He has grown a lot. He helps me walk over to the privet wing. We go past a few doors and Mikey knocks on one on the right side. After a few seconds, the door opens. "Bonnie, is it okay if we come in?" Mikey asks.  
"Yeah, of course. You two might as well be considered his family," she says.   
Mikey helps me into the room and he sits me down in a chair. It has wheels so he pushes me over towards Frank's bedside. I look at him. Cut up and stitches running up and down his face, neck, and shoulders. His skin is purple and blue. An oxygen mask is over his face and he has needles in his wrists. A monitor shows his heartbeat. Steady for the most part. I hold his hand, my fingers intertwining with his, and look at him. So wounded but still Frankie. He looks dead but as long as I hear the beeping I know he's not. 

I snap my head up. I have fallen asleep a while ago. I'm still in the gripping Frank's hand tightly. The monitor continued a steady beep. He's still alive. Bonnie left the room and a different technician sits in the chair reading a book. They are on the night shift making sure he stays alive. Mikey sits in the chair asleep. I get up and walk over to him. I grit my teeth and lift him up. He is a lot heavier than he was last time I picked up, which was my return home from the week trial. He ran over to me and I hugged him lifting him off the ground. It would be easier to carry him if I wasn't shot. I wave at the technician and say good night. Before I leave I take a hard look at Frank. His jet black hair and tanned skin. I try to imagine him awake. His hazel eyes taking in the world with wonder. His smile and laugh. The sound of his voice. The way he freaks out when he gets excited. I take a moment to say good night to him as well. When I turn my back and walk out of the room, I hope to myself that it wasn't also a goodbye.   
I head downstairs and go to the bed. I lay Mikey down on his mattress and tuck him in. For old time sake's and because no one else is there, I lay in my old bed beneath him.   
The radio goes off and I groggily get up for one reason. Today is September 10th. Mikey's birthday. I get out of bed and stand up. "Hey, Mikey?" I tussle his hair around. "Happy birthday."  
His eyes open. "You remembered."  
"I never would forget," I say smiling. He climbs out of bed and we walk to the lockers. Upstairs at a table with Cole and Addison, there is a small birthday cake covered in white frosting. Written in red icing "Happy Birthday" across the top. And in the center, was a skinny candle twinkling an orange flame.   
Mikey smiles wide. "Thanks, guys!" He hugs them both.  
Addison giggles. "It took a long time to get everything to make this but we managed."  
"How did you guys pull this off exactly? Things are scarce. Alec shouldn't have let you."   
"He doesn't know. We saved some rations from our meals and took a little extra last night. They won't notice," Cole whispers.   
Mikey smiles, blow out the candle and uses a fork to slices small sections. He takes the first piece. "This is the greatest thing I have tasted!'' He gives Addison and Cole a piece. Then me. He's right. It is the greatest thing I have tasted. Living off of canned food and bland plants isn't considered the greatest. Out in the zones, there are some abandoned factories or stores that have edible food. We raid the supplies then search for more Draculoids.   
Addison gestures that last bits to Mikey. "Go on, finish it before it goes bad, or before someone notices."  
Mikey smiles at her and eats the last bit of cake. He hugs her and Cole again. "Thank you so much! You guys are the best!"  
"What'd you wish for?" Addison asks.  
"I can't say or it won't come true. And I really want it to happen."  
"Well, if it does happen, then tell us afterward?" Cole asks.  
"Will do," Mikey says.  
A hand is placed on my shoulder. I turn around. Ray has a tense look on his face. "Gerard," he says. There is nothing else. We both know that we messed up. We did so well and tripped at the finish line. We were on route coming home. We would have been home within the hour. We could have called it in and ignored it or waited for back up. No. We split up. There was no good reason to do that. We just separated. Frank and Woody never saw the attack coming. We were walking to the car. We should have been running. We were mere seconds away from them. We could have saved them. Woody was stunned but Frank, after being in an explosion and then shot, he didn't stand a chance.   
Woody comes up the stairs and into the dinner. He looks at me and Ray. "Guys, I just came from Frank's room," he says. Ray and I exchange looks. Mikey, Addison, and Cole fall silent. "Come quickly." 

Ray and I follow Woody back down the stairs and to the Medical Area and the privet wing. He explains on the way. "I was just in there with him and so was Bonnie but the beeping just stopped!" he says flustered. "Bonnie started trying to get things back to work but then the machine starts alerting a medical notice. She told me to get someone. I found a nurse and a doctor. When I left to get you guys, they didn't know what was going to happen."  
I feel my lungs tighten and breathing becomes harder. I remember Mikey's words. If the machine fails for one minute, he's dead. His own body can't keep him alive. That's why Bonnie always stayed. To make sure the machines always worked. The beeping means they are working and he's alive. If it stopped...  
We knock on the door and a technician answers. He'll let us in. Bonnie stands by the monitors. She looks over at us. I walk around her and see Frank. A doctor and nurse stand by his side. Please, be okay. His skin is ghostly pale and the bags under his eyes are a violet. Please, be okay.   
"Bonnie, what's going on?" Woody asks.   
"I'm not sure," she whispers while concentrating on the screen, "but something is going on with his monitor. It's acting up and none of the reads of his status are consistent."  
The man wearing a white jacket checks Frank's eyes and pulse. "I don't think there is a malfunction. By the looks of things, it appears he is coming out of his coma," the doctor says. Huge relief comes off my shoulders. "But his state of mind will be unknown because of a concussion he suffers. When he wakes, he can range anywhere from perfect condition to brain dead and anything in between. The possibilities vary. There's no way to tell how well he will be until he is fully awake."  
The small amount of relief is gone. "It's best if you three step out of the room. I'm sure you will be the first to be informed," the nurse says. I glance over at Bonnie. She gives a halfhearted smile and nods. She'll tell us what happens when she knows herself.  
We step out and Mikey, Addison, and Cole wait outside the room. "What's going on?" Mikey asks.   
"The bad news is that because of a concussion, they aren't sure how stable his mind is," Ray says.  
"Meaning he can be able to function or he could be brain dead. He also could have amnesia or lose physical abilities. He could be paralyzed and even those extents vary. Possibly blind or deaf. He could lose his fine motor skills or coordination," Woody adds. He trained to be a surveyor but also has deep knowledge of medical treatment. What he says about possibilities are most likely true. And it frightens me of all the things that could happen.  
They look horrified. "As bad as it can be, there is a possibility he will turn out okay?" Addison asks.   
"Yes, he can. But it's not certain he will," I say.  
"Is there any good news to this?" Cole asks.  
"The good news is that he is waking up out of his coma so we will find out soon," Ray says. "But," he continues, "If he is brain dead and not responsive, they are going to pull the plug. I doubt they are the type of people to waste energy on those who can't do anything."  
He's right. So today we are going to find out what condition Frank is in. But if it is bad, then he is dead; it'll be over. I will lose him, my best friend. I break and tears escape my eyes. Mikey looks at me and hugs me. It is my turn to bury my face in his jacket. I can't lose Frank. He means too much to me. It wouldn't be right. He's my best friend, more than that. I don't know what it is but I know that I can't lose him. He's too important to me. I think about what I feel and stop. No, Gerard. Don't think like that. That's not right. The idea haunts me and I suppress it. No, stop it. Don't think like that. You can't afford to think like that. It's not true.  
The door opens and the nurse steps out of the room. We all look at her but she walks past us. We wait. The medical wing is fairly large and off to the side. Being in the privet wing, we are away from everyone. It limited the sound heard from the rest of the base. The silence is almost eerie. I hear my heartbeat in my ears. The nurse comes back. "He is awake but we don't know anything yet," she says before going back in the room.   
He's awake and alive. If he isn't alive, they would have said that. He is still with us. How much is unknown but he is still with us. Every passing second drags out. I lose track of actual time and it feels like a summer has passed when Bonnie steps out of the room.   
"You three can come in," she says as the nurse steps out of the room again. Woody, Ray and I go in and we see him lying in bed. The doctor starts unhooking him from the machines but leaves the IV in his arm and the oxygen mask over his face.   
"Can you tell me your name?" the doctor asks him.  
He sits there for a moment. I look desperately at him. Please have your memory. "Uh, my name?" he says. "Frank Iero."   
"Good, can you recall your job?"  
"I am a technician fighter for the Killjoys," he says slurring his speak.  
"What is the last thing you can recall happening?"  
"I was in the zones. I was coming home but something happened. I tried to meet at a car to wait. The car blew up and we were taking heavy fire."  
"You seem to have your memory but you are a little slow at it. Are you feeling dizziness?" Frank nods. "What else is there that is out of the ordinary"  
"My vision is doubled. It's too bright in here. Basically can't see too well. My head is pounding and things are loud. I feel lightheaded."  
"Those are common signs of suffering a concussion. They will heal over time. You have visitors. Your team is here," the doctor says.  
I walk over to his bedside. "Frank, I'm so glad you are alive," I say happily.  
Frank look in my direction. "What?" His eyes squint and they don't focus on one point. "Who is this?" he asks.  
My smile drops. Those words just escaped his mouth and I feel like a was punched in the gut. He doesn't know who I am. Sadness sinks inside. He doesn't know who I am. I look at Ray and Woody. They look shocked. Bonnie stands horrified. He-he doesn't remember me?  
"Who are you?" Frank reaches his hand out in my direction. I feel my lips quivering and eyes stinging. "Wait, who is this?" His fingers wrap around my wrist, his touch startling. He runs his hand on my skin and feels my jacket's sleeve and then he slides down to my hands intertwining with my fingers. "Gee?" he whispers at the realization of my touch. "Gee! Are you okay? I remember you got hurt?"  
My eyes light up. "Frankie, you remember?" I exclaim delightedly. I laugh out and hold onto him with both hands. Tears well up in my eyes. He is okay. Woody comes over and takes his other hand and Ray stands by my side.   
"Gee, I should have known it was you. There is nothing else as brilliant of a red other than your hair."


	6. The Cemetery Drive

Frank sits with us when we eat breakfast. This is the first time he got out of the hospital and eaten with us at the diner oppose to the hospital. We make small talk when two Killjoys run through the diner and into the garage. I listen to the chatter. There's Draculoids not too far away from the diner. They need to be eliminated before they discover what lies here. After two minutes, a car drives off into the zones. They must be respondents. They are like guards, except their job specifically involves preventing BL/ind from getting close to the base in the first place.   
We finish our meals and then head downstairs to the shooting range. I've learned that Mikey isn't that handy with a blaster if the target is over 50 feet away. But if the target is in a 10-foot proximity to him, he would rather just fight them.   
I make it to the 100-foot mark and quickly fire rapidly. I hit every single one dead center. Last time I was at the range, I had to concentrate. Now, it was second nature how to aim. "Mikey, try from here. See how good you are."  
"Gerard, I know I will miss it," he rebuttals.   
"Just try it," I say. He comes over and raises his arms. He closes one eye and squints. Before he pulls the trigger, the whole base shakes with a loud explosion noise.  
We all fall over and the lights flicker. Dust falls from the ceiling. Someone calls out but I already know what happens before they scream "We're under attack!"  
I remember protocol distinctively. Mikey immediately knows what to do. I have never been at the base when it's been attacked but Mikey said that it's happened twice while I was gone. Bonnie and the Weapons Modifier head downstairs with the kids under 15. Others run downstairs to their lockers. I open mine and quickly throw on my jacket and mask. I grab a bandanna and pull it over my mouth and nose. The kids all make it in the bunk. They check to make sure that it's everyone and then they slide the door shut and you hear it automatically bolt locked. It doesn't even look like there's a room behind it, just another wall. I grab my blaster and run back upstairs with the other. Killjoys ready to fight. Frank is at the top readying his blaster. I put a hand on his shoulder and we run up the stairs to the diner together.  
The stairs lead up directly behind the counter so there is cover from all the blasts that shoot overhead. The other Killjoys crawl behind and then make their way to the front. I hold my blaster and peek above the counter. Three BL/ind vans are outside the base. Bounty Hunters and Draculoids spread out and fire at us. Killjoys take cover behind the counters, shelves, the booths and the doorway that leads to the garage. The respondents went to go stop them. Only two went against what probably is close to 20. Those Killjoys are dead.   
I crawl to the edge and then dive under a vacant booth. I lean up against the wall and point my blaster between the boards that cover the broken window. I fire and shoot the white suits. Three of them go down before one catches me and shoots in my directions. I lean back as the wood boards explode off the wall and the splinters fall on me. I roll off the seat and take cover under the table as two Draculoids fire from the window. I grit my teeth as each blast gets closer and closer to hitting me. I curl up in a ball and do my best to compress myself to get better cover. Frank shoots at them from behind the counter. He hits them dead. A blast hits the counter right by Frank and he crawls back behind for cover. I look around. A few Bounty Hunters advance into the diner. They head into the garage. Mason shoots them from behind a car. His assistant doesn't have good cover. He shoots one of them before the others take him out. Mason hits another one but he takes a blow to his shoulder. Bonnie screams out. She runs out from a booth and runs into the garage shooting. The rest of them are hit. She jumps over the hood of a car and checks on her husband.   
I spot Mikey leaning behind a shelf that is taking heavy fire. He holds his red blaster and covers his face from the sparks that fly after the blasts hit the metal covering the counter. A Scavenger jumps up from behind the counter and starts shooting. He hits a few before he gets shot in the face and falls back dead. I army crawl towards the door. One of them starts shooting the floor near me. I cover my head. Ray dives across the diner and shoots them. He makes it next to me.   
The rest of the Bounty Hunter and Draculoids charge into the diner. The blasts start nearing us. Ray grabs the table and knocks it down as a shield. The two of us crunch up as the table absorbs the blasts. I peek around the corner and I see a Draculoid near Mikey. Mikey rolls out of the way from the shelf and wraps his hands around the Draculoid's neck. He knees him in the gut. A Bounty Hunter shoots at Mikey but he uses the Drac as a shield. The blast knocks them both on the ground. I shoot the Bounty Hunter. Bonnie steps out of the garage with blood dripping from her hands and fires at the last of them.   
Silence follows. Ray and I lift up the table and put it back in place. I run over to Mikey and I lift the Draculoid off of him. "Mikey, are you hurt?"  
"No," he grunts and he drags his legs out from underneath the Drac. I help him to his feet and then I go check on Frank.  
He sits behind the counter staring at the scavenger. The blast burns his skin and mangled his features. Blood puddle around his head. I kneel next to Frank. "I used to share a bunk with him when we were kids," he says.   
"I'm sorry, Frank."  
"You and I were next to each other, both on the bottom. He took the top and was next to Mikey." He shakes his head and then stands up. Someone next to him grabs the radio. "We're clear but there are a few casualties. Also, notify paramedics. We got a medical emergency. I repeat, a medical emergency. We can still save him." A medical team comes up to the diner. They put the Scavenger in a body bag and carry him outside. They also put the mechanic in a body bag. They bring Mason downstairs on a stretcher. Blood seeps from his shoulder fast. Bonnie holds his hands but stays in the diner. We start dragging the other bodies outside. We empty one of the vans and load the Dracs and Bounty Hunters in the back. When all of them are in, someone gets in and drives the van away, somewhere close to the Society to dump the bodies to be found by BL/ind. It's our way of showing that we are superior to them. It's a little sadistic, returning the corpses but they killed our own. This is our way of telling them to back off.

 

"Are you sure about this?" Alec asks. "Frank, if you need more time, then please take it. I don't what you fighting when you still need to recover."  
"I told you, Alec. I'm well past recovered. It's been over three months since the accident. The car has been fixed up already."  
"Okay, I'm just making sure." Alec hands him the radio. "Go get yourself ready. You leave in an hour."  
I go and find Mikey. He's sitting in his new bunk holding his sunglasses. I sit down next to him. "Hey."  
He glances up. "You're leaving in an hour then?" he asks.  
"Yeah, something like that," I say. "Mikey, are you going to be okay?"  
"Of course I am. You don't need to worry about me."  
"Look, I talked to Alec. I don't want to leave you. It's only going to be three-month mission."  
"You don't need to change everything just because of me."  
"You're my brother. Of course, I do. And also, Alec agreed to it on top of that because he doesn't think Frank is fully healed."  
Mikey lies down on the mattress. I brush his hair back out of his face. "I love you, and I promise you I will return awake this time."  
"Awake and unafraid," he says.   
"Yes," I promise.  
"I understand that this is a dangerous job. Death is always possible as long as you're alive but when you're out there, it's a lot more likely. I want you to be careful, Gerard."   
"Of course." I should be getting ready but I choose to ignore that. I lie down next to him. The moments I have with him are precious. He's a Guard now and I'm a Mission Killjoy. Three months isn't too long but in perspective of our lives, it is. The base can be under attack at any moment and Mikey would be at the front of the lines defending the base. If the base were to be infiltrated, Mikey would be one of the first ones down. I am out in the zones. There are so many chances of dying. It scares me to think that maybe when I return home, I am the one to watch my brother in the hospital bed.   
"Gerard, do you think BL/ind just kills those opposing them?" Mikey asks.  
"What else would they do?"  
He shrugs. "I don't know. You told me what happened to Frank's dad a while ago and I keep thinking about it. Why would they take you?"  
"Maybe it's because he was registered."  
"Oh," he replies. "Are you ever going to tell Frank?"  
"Probably not. Yeah, he has a right to know but it's a touchy subject. And he might get angry for not knowing after all these years."  
"He wouldn't get angry if you were the one to tell him." I shake my head. "He can't be mad at you. It's just the way he is. You are his best friend."  
"Maybe I'll tell him when we're by ourselves in the zones," I say.  
"He has a right to know. How would you feel if in a year or two Frank tells you something you didn't know about our parents but he told Woody? Wouldn't bother you for not telling you but his brother?"  
"You're right," I sigh.   
Ray comes running into the room. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything but plans have changed," he says. I sit up. "Scouts report there is a crap load of activity in the East of Zone 4 We need to head out now. We'll be accompanied by another team and two more will be meeting us there."  
I stand to my feet. "That is a lot of Killjoys."  
Ray gives me a stern look. "There is a lot of activity." The Draculoids and Bounty Hunter of BL/ind are terrible fighters. They are very weak fighters and poor shots. I mean, the members of the society have been wiped from creativity and originality. Everything is white and generic. Imagination is gone and art is extinct. No drawing, no paintings, writing, stories, music, singing, or dancing. No personality. People are programmed to live as robots. They all wear the same clothes and have the same hairstyles. The only color there is in the society is those that are gifted with Blue or Green eyes. But I hear that is even a rarity. There are only a few people that have escaped the society. In the years that it's been here, less than a dozen. A few of them have come across the Killjoys and they log everything down. I have read the books about living in the society. It reminds me why I put my life on the line.   
Living with creativity gives us our advantages. Instead of being programmed to do everything and be ordered what to do randomly for the convenience of time, we have jobs. Our skills serve a purpose. I am a shooter and a driver. That's what I do. Frank is a shooter and a technician. If someone needs help with a computer, they ask him, not me. It gets done correctly. I wouldn't be much use. BL/ind doesn't differentiate their men. They have Draculoids and Bounty Hunters. There is no difference besides their masks being vampires or smile faces. But their foolish choice they make to have a Utopia only give us an advantage. We are much stronger. There may be more of them but over 70% of the Killjoys know how to shoot damn straight. If they don't, they work in the base as a doctor, mechanic, or whatever. The average Killjoy you stumble across in the zones will take out anywhere 5-8 before they get suffer bad injuries. This is going on the theory that they aren't taking cover and there fighting mass activity by themselves. But typically, you have at least one other person with you unless you are a Scout. Most scouts like to work alone. Dracs and Bounty Hunters are in groups of 3-5. Killjoys can easily take them out. If there are about 20 Killjoys needed, there must be a hell of a lot of activity.

I grab my jacket from my locker and throw it on then stuff pairs of clothes into a leather satchel. I grab my holster and clip it to my belt and right leg. I shove my blaster in and grab my knife. Mikey comes over to me. I hug him tightly. "Take care of yourself, little buddy."  
"You too, Gerard."  
"Mikey," Ray says. "You get ready too. They haven't seen this much activity unless there is an attack on the base. Thanks to the Scout, we know there are many of them not all that far. Be on standby. If anything comes up on the radar, it might be them."  
The Base is Central of Zone 3. BL/ind is south of Zone 22 and the Society in 23. Our radar can only pick up everything in Zone 3. If they are in Zone 4, they are close to the base. 

I get in the driver's seat and turn the key in the ignition. I don't wait to make sure the other are buckled, I just drive. I'm usually the only one that needs to be secure at this point. The others sometimes lean out the window or the sunroof to shoot Dracs during a chase. If I start to shoot, I can only blast from my window with my left hand.   
I accelerate in front of the other car. "Woody, give me the directions there," I say.  
"Just a second, Party." He looks in his book. When we leave Zone 3, I start to slow down. "Change course 30° left," he says. I adjust the course and in the review mirror, I see the other Killjoys behind me. This must be a lot of activity if this many are called.   
Frank modifies everyone's weapons to make sure they are all functioning properly. It would be horrible if things jammed up. "Everyone's is in working condition," he says.  
Static breaks over the radio. Alec starts talking. "Be careful out there, Killjoys. Go make some noise. Never let them take you alive and die with your masks on."   
Someone else responds. "Roger, keep the base ready in case of an attack," they say.  
After 10 minutes, I see up ahead a Killjoy van driving towards the same destination. There is a factory we are heading to. When we arrive, there is already another team of Killjoys there. "They are all in this facility. My best guess is to blow this place up sky high but we should at least take a look at what's going on in there."  
"The aftermath is always secondary," says a tiny Killjoy with pink highlights. "We shouldn't risk getting ourselves shot for something that could just be a gathering of them waiting to attack the base"  
"Look, we shouldn't do anything we can't undo. What if there are others in there? Or months of supplies? We don't know. And I'm not saying all of us go in, just a select few. They can bring a radio if things go bad," they argue.  
"So then anyone goes in basically is willing to die?" Ray asks. "No, if we are sending someone in, it better be for a reason. We shouldn't lose anyone without a cause. And, as brilliant as the plan is to blow this facility sky high, I doubt we have the proper weapons with us to launch a full-scale attack on a huge building."  
Everyone looks around and realizes Ray is right. We can't just send an RPG on the wall. "He's right," I say. "Look, we don't know what's going on but there's a lot of activity going down. We aren't that far from the base. We were sent here to get rid of them. Now, there could be something in there that we shouldn't blow up but then again, we may not. One thing is for certain, we have to get to the inside in order to destroy it."  
"You're right. Look I have a better plan of action," a neon blue hair guy says. "It doesn't look like there are many ways in, which means there aren't that many ways out. We block off all exits except one and that's the one we go in. We have the other Killjoys lines up at that door. When the ones inside blow up the place, they run out of the doors. We communicate through the radios so we know what's going on inside. When any white suits run out, we shoot them."  
"Now that's a better plan," Ray laughs. "Now we need to figure out what everyone is doing."  
"There are basically two options, you go in, or you stay out. I say that we have at least one technician go in to work on the wiring and another one for the radio," the blue hair guy says. "Also, there needs to be someone that can fire RPGs and we need a handful of sharpshooters. Also, a strategist to improvise."  
The short girl with pink hair looks around. "I think Galaxy Globe should be the strategist."   
The blue hair person looks at her. "If I'm going in, I want you at my side Wanda Red."  
She smiles. "Well, you got yourself the brains and a sharpshooter. Who else?"  
"I'm a technician and a sharpshooter," Frank says. "You want me?"  
"Hell yeah, brother," Galaxy says. "You know what to do then?"  
"He's the best technician you could ever have at your side," I say. "I'm going with you."  
"Party, no," he argues. "I want you outside to shoot the white suits."  
"There is no way I'm losing you. Not again. Besides, you could use another sharpshooter."  
"Okay, anyone knows how to use an RPG?" Wanda ask.  
A Killjoy with a helmet over their head raises their hand. "I can, and Cherri Cola? Be the radio man," he says. Woody nods.   
"Alright team, we know who's going in. Everyone else, you stay out and shoot any white suits," Galaxy says. We all start scanning the perimeters. The main doors are probably heavily guarded. There are two other doors, one in the back and one on the side. We place a branch between the door handles and then a Killjoy welds the hinges shut with a torch. We do the same to the front doors. We ready ourselves to enter. The six of us stand by the door. Frank has the torch and a screwdriver under his belt. The helmet guy holds the launcher in his hands and has three rockets on his back. Woody has the radio strapped to his shoulder so he can just talk. Then Galaxy, Wanda, Frank, Woody and I have our blasters drawn.  
Galaxy nods and Ray opens the side door. He steps in and Wanda covers his back. "Clear," he whispers. He starts advancing forward and Wanda keeps his six covered. I then step in with Woody. The Helmet guy comes in and Frank after him. Ray shuts the door behind us. Galaxy takes the lead and Woody steps behind him covering the left. I cover the right and Frank stands next to me. Helmet walks behind us and Wanda walks backward and follows us. The six of us stay in tight formation, weapons drawn and ready to shoot on sight. My heart pounds loud inside my chest and I feel the adrenaline kick into my bloodstream. I promised Mikey I will be home. I hope I wasn't lying when I said that. It wouldn't be that much fun to stare down a loaded gun. We keep walking through the facility silently, not yet detected.

Keyword: Yet.

Galaxy leads us through the facility. He checks the halls before we go down them. I've lost track of how long it's been. More than 5 minutes? Maybe 10? We haven't seen any Draculoids or Bounty Hunters yet but we hear the commotion. Each step we take, it gets louder and louder. I have learned my lesson. Last time I was really calm about a situation, I got shot and Frank almost died. Now, I'm a bit on edge but a safe amount. Enough to keep me sharp but not so much I lose focus. Where are all these bastards? By now, we should have run into a patrol, not that I'm complaining. It just doesn't make sense from a logical point of view.   
I hear something fly past me, very faintly. I look around but nothing's around. I shrug it off when Wanda collapses to the ground. I get down on my knees to her. There's a barb sticking out of her neck and I quickly take it out of her. The sharp point glistens red and a drop of her blood rolls off the needle. I have a fear of needles for this exact reason. They are sharp and deadly. Frank has tattoos on his arm and chest. I can never watch but I always love the end product. Same with his lip piercing. He looks so great and I marvel over the art but the idea of needles scares me.   
Galaxy spins around and takes a step over to us when I hear the small phtt noise again. I move my head back an inch when a barb hits the wall. If I hadn't moved, that deadly needle would have penetrated my neck.   
Thankfully Wanda is so short and tiny so I easily lift her up and carry her in my arms. We start running, Galaxy leading the way. Draculoids flood the hallway and Galaxy and Frank start shooting at them. Woody helps them out. The static breaks over the radio and he explain that we have been seen.   
We stop in a corner, Woody and Frank cover for us. I kneel down, holding Wanda and Galaxy slides down on the floor across from me. He holds his hands in the air. "Wanda, what happened?" he trembles. She mutters incoherently. Galaxy looks up at me. I can see through his mask in his eyes that he is afraid. He is scared of what will happen to her.   
"Cherri Cola, switch with me," I say. He's the closest thing to a doctor we have right now, probably a qualified one if he ever tested. I lift Wanda up and Galaxy holds her gently. He runs his fingers through her hair and caresses her forehead. Woody and I switch places. Frank and I shoot at anything in the line of sight.  
Woody examines Wanda. He checks her pulse. "She's still with us but she's losing conscious. I don't think the barb was poisoned but it was laced with a drug."  
"So she will be alright?" Galaxy asks hopefully.  
"Let's just say, the drug won't kill her. But if she doesn't get out of here, she'll die."  
"It's too late to turn back now with her." Helmet says. "We have to carry on with her."  
Galaxy nods. "Party Poison, you take lead." He looks down at her. "It's okay, we'll carry on. Believe me," he says.  
I lead everyone out of the corner. Frank and I cover. Woody takes out any Dracs that Galaxy would shoot if his arms weren't full. We head down a spiraling staircase and eventually to what seems to be the main room.   
"There!" Frank shouts, gesturing to a huge central station. "That's where we need to go!" He takes off and I follow right behind him and everyone else comes with. The station is a huge flat motherboard. "Cover me, Party!" he shouts. He puts his weapon in the upholstery, takes out the screwdriver and takes off the cover. He starts punching in codes. I stand right behind him, my back pressed up against his, and I shoot anyone pointing a gun at us.   
Galaxy sets down Wanda on the ground on my left. He kneels beside her and starts shooting. "I think it's time we use on of those rockets!" he says.  
Helmet takes cover behind us. Woody and I stand and Galaxy kneels in a line. Frank works for me, Wanda rests next to Galaxy and Helmet works beside Woody. After 8 seconds, Helmet positions himself and fires the rocket into the upper floor, containing many BL/ind goons taking cover and firing at us. The floor crumbles and smokes and dust clouds around everywhere.  
Rapid beeping starts coming from behind me. I turn around. Frank has set off some timer. He starts snapping wires. The beeping is replaced with a red flashing light. The lights on the far north of the facility start going out and the machines stop humming. His fingers frantically work when a blast hits the computer causing it to explode. Frank cries out as his hands burn. He flails back but I catch hold of him.   
Another blast hits the monitors and the computer catches aflame. Galaxy shoots in that direction. Shots return heavy fire. We all take cover behind the station. Helmet readies the second rocket. He fires again in that area. Debris flies at us. Galaxy pulls Wanda back away from harm and I shield Frank from the brunt of the explosion. It knocks me back and I tumble several feet away; my blaster fumbles out of my hands and out of my reach. I moan out in pain.   
Frank cries out for me when I see a man walk out of the smoke. He wears a long gray cloak that flows behind him as he steps. He is completely bald and his shirt is lined with a frilly white trim.   
I try to lift myself up but the man grabs me by my neck and he lifts me up to my feet. Draculoids fire at the others, keeping them at bay. My feet start dangling off the ground and I choke for air. I can't pry his grip off me. I swing a punch at his body but his arm is so long I can't hit him. I kick at him but he doesn't even bat an eye or move an inch. I claw his arm and hand but nothing phases him. I fight him with teeth and nail but it's as if he is immune to pain and is sturdy as steel.  
"So, you are a Killjoy that thinks they can stop us? You are wasting your time. Surrender already to BL/ind.  
"No, I won't stop. I-"  
"You'll what?" he says. "You honestly believe you are the good guys? he chuckles. "You guys aren't going to live. You aren't heroes. You are like Black Dragons trying to fight the Society. Give into the Society. BL/ind will overpower you all." I don't say anything, mainly because I try to save my oxygen. "You aren't going to live. Your story will end where the good guys die and the bad guys win."  
"Who cares?" I choke out. "Who gives a damn if we lose the war?" My head pounds and my vision doubles in sync of my pulse, that I can feel slowing down.   
The man smiles a cold, heartless smile. I read his name tag. "Executor: Korse" Sadistic man. He whips out a white blaster and sticks it up against my throat. I stare at him in the eyes. This is the end. This is how I disappear. I lock eye contact with him. He pushes the barrel tighter against my throat. He enjoys taking his time, making my death last. His head tilts to the side and the crazy in his eyes widens. The Dracs and Bounty Hunters keep shooting at the others. Galaxy's shoulder is bleeding out and I can't tell if Wanda is injured or that's Galaxy's blood that has dripped over her. Frank has trouble with his blaster because of his burns. They all can't move their position without being shot down and killed. They would instantly be a dead man. None of them can save me. Time slows down and I feel every millisecond I live through. I have time to process every minuscule detail that happens. I am struck with clarity.  
I'm sorry Mikey I couldn't keep my promise. I'm sorry little brother I am never coming home. Korse wriggles his knuckles around. My eyes wander over to the others. I'm sorry this is how it ends. I'm sorry that I can't protect you guys. Frank covers his head as a blast skims the top of his skull. He's eyes catch mine. He sees me and I see him. When facing the end, the truth fights its way out. Everything that I have denied to myself, everything I pushed aside after all these years, everything finally comes out. But I can't say anything. I can't breathe. Korse has closed off my airways. I'm sorry I have suppressed the truth because I was afraid. I'm sorry I never told you, Frank.   
My vision starts blacking out on the sides. I don't have peripheral sight and I can't see anything else around me. I just concentrate on Frank. That's what I do to ease myself as I leave this world and leave it all behind. I could have lived forever if we got the time, but we don't. Korse says something else but I can't hear anything. Everything is inaudible and muffled white noise. Slowly things get darker. I am afraid. I am really afraid. I don't want to die. I don't want to leave this world. The last thing I can barely make out is Frank crying, his jaw trembling and his burn hands reaching for me as if it will bring me back into his arms safe and sound. I lose sight of everything and the darkness consumes me. All I can do is feel what happens next.  
A great force strikes my head and I fly back. The excruciating pain that can only mean getting shot hits me in the neck as I slip out of Korse's grip and my body crashes to the floor with a huge thud. The pain is all concentrated on my neck from the burning and the bleeding on the side. The back of my head and neck ache from the whiplash when I flipped back out of his grip. I still can't breathe and my arms thrash around. I manage to strain my hands long enough to cup my fingers around my wound as my blood pours out. My body convulses on the ground, legs kicks, shoulders jerking, chest heaving, and the blood seep between my fingers, pooling onto the floor. All I can imagine I look like a freak twitching on the ground having a seizure.   
I am afraid. I am afraid. I can't see or hear anything. All that I can do is let the pain consume me. The burning, the bleeding, the choking, the shaking, the thrashing, and worst of all, the words I never said. All the things that I never ever told him, all of his smiles that are ever going to haunt me, and all the ghosts that are ever going to catch me.


	7. Our Lady Of Sorrows

I feel myself slip away. Dying is not peaceful, at least not like this. I go numb and I can't feel anything but at the same time, there's just so much pain. I'm sorry I broke my promise, Mikey. I'm sorry for this being how it ends, Frank. I'm sorry I couldn't stop BL/ind, Alec. I'm sorry I couldn't save anyone. The darkness scares me. I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was a young boy before I went to the Killjoy Base. As a kid, I wasn't afraid of the dark, but what happens in it. Now, I am afraid of what will become of me.   
The darkness starts fading away and a blindly white light takes away the black. I see silhouettes. Korse and someone else gets into a brawl. The person stands with their back facing me. They push Korse's arm away from themselves and me. Korse uses his other hand to grab the blaster and I catch of glimpse of the other guy's face. Cherri Cola. He has a scarf over his mouth but I know he is shocked. Bullet wounds scatter across his body. His legs, arms, and chest. He ran out of cover and got shot just to try to save me. He knocked me out of Korse's grip a second before Korse pulled the trigger. I got shot still but if he hadn't, I wouldn't have been alive enough to feel the ground when my body fell.   
Korse pushes the blaster against Woody's gut and doesn't hesitate to fire this time. The blast hits him and because he's so close, it goes through his body. Blood shoots out, splattering all over me. As Woody falls backward, he grabs the blaster from Korse. He starts shooting but Korse ducks out of the way. I see Helmet load the last rocket. To get better aim, he runs out of cover to fire. As the last rocket flies out of the launcher, he gets hit. The force is so great that when he whips back, his helmet flies off his head. His blond bangs cover his face. Galaxy screams out for him. Both he and Woody have risked given up their lives to give us a window just long enough for us to escape.   
Frank places a charger on a remaining piece of the computer system. Galaxy checks Helmet but the devastated look on his face shows that he's dead. Galaxy drags Wanda with and they start making their get away.   
They come over towards us. "Get-him-out," I struggle to say. I can't stop the bleeding at my neck. I'm a dead man. Galaxy helps Woody to his feet. Woody puts and arm around his shoulder and uses him a crutch. Woody takes hold of Wanda. She's weightless and drags across the floor behind them. Frank falls to his knees to try and get me up. I wince in pain. "No- Fun Ghoul... Please, don't. Leave me and run."  
He grabs hold of my shoulders. "No! I am not leaving you. I can't. If you die in here, I will too."  
"Don't-throw your life...away-just-because..."  
"No, if you die, it won't matter if my heart is beating or not. I will die inside. I can't lose you, Party. You're too important to me," he says. Frank doesn't ever get that upset, let alone cry but tears steadily stream down his cheeks. I'm the only friend that makes him cry. He takes the bandana off of his mouth and wraps it around my neck.   
The little window we had for escaping is over. They start shooting at us. "Put this back on. Protect yourself. Please, go. Just get up and GO!" I croak.   
Frank looks down at me. He knows there's no time and he can't get me out of here. He knows that he can't save me and it hurts him.   
Woody falls back and drops Wanda. "I hope you're ready for a firefight because of the devils out number us tonight. You got 2 minutes!" he shouts into the radio. He unclips it and places it in Wanda's hands. Galaxy lifts her up. Woody drags himself closer to us. "Save yourself, I'll hold them back tonight."  
Galaxy tries to stop him. "No more death, we can all escape. This ain't a room full of suicide."  
Woody starts firing in the direction of the Dracs and Bounty Hunters. "I have to or we're never leaving this place alive. Are y'all ready where you are at?" he asks. Frank manages to get me up. I'm at least a whole three inches taller than Frank but he manages. He is that desperate to save me. I hear him struggle and grit his teeth. "Can you save yourself tonight?" Woody asks.  
I hear Korse's voice echo. "We're coming for you!"  
"Can you save yourself, right now?" Woody shouts. "'Cause I'll hold them back!"   
Frank tries to convince Woody to come with. "Please, don't do this, brother!" he shouts.   
Woody crawls away. Before Frank can chase after him, Woody shoots the ceiling and rumble crash between us and him. Frank tries to break through but he can't. He realizes that it's either me or Woody. He realizes he had to choose between the two of us. After all these years, we were both equally his best friends. Years ago when I was a punk, I was jealous of Woody but once I got over myself, he was my friend. We were both Frank's best friends. Now Frank has just picked me over Woody, whether he likes it or not. Both of us couldn't live and we both knew that. Frank picked me to save and Woody was able to sacrifice himself again. He saved me and now everyone else.   
As we make our way out of the facility, the Dracs and Bounty Hunters realize by now all exits are blocked. As we are feet away from the door, the white suits start charging towards us, although from all the smoke, they are more like splotchy gray. Galaxy screams on the radio. "WE'RE COMING OUT!" and then he kicks open the door. Ray helps him and he carries Wanda away. One of his team member helps Galaxy out. Two others help me and Frank. They line us up against the wall of the facility.   
Ray looks at the four of us. "Six of you went in. Where-?"  
Galaxy cuts him off. "Woody Iero and Bob Bryar sacrificed themselves."  
The lot of us wait. After a few seconds, the white suits start shooting at us. The others have set up a little barricade around here. They wedged the door so it can't be opened all the way and serves also as a shield. They moved the cars so other Killjoys can hide behind it and fire. There are boulders that act as a shield too.   
The Dracs and Hunters fight to get out but it only opened wide enough for one at a time. The other Killjoys are in position and they all fire at them. The bodies start falling out of the exit and piling up. Soon the white suits start tripping over them and fall getting shot. Then there is a huge explosion coming from the base. The smoke shoots out of the door and acts as a smoke screen.   
A few Killjoys help the four of us that made it out to one of the vans. The other quickly toss aside the bodies while one still shoots. They manage to shut the door. A technician starts welding the hinges shut and then the cracks of the door. They're trapped. The charge Frank placed will kill the last of them.  
We all get in the cars and vans and start driving away. A field medic starts working on us, starting with me, trying to stop the blood flow. They apply pressure for a long time and their assistant takes over so the medic can attend the others. He wraps Frank's hands and then patches up Galaxy. There's nothing we can do for Wanda but wait for the drug to wear off.   
My head is pounding and I feel woozy. Could I survive after losing this much blood? I lost gallons of the stuff. I only lived because Woody saved my life. He tackled Korse. Woody died. He's gone. I have trouble breathing as I wrap my head around his loss. He died for me. I was really that important for him. He died for all of us. I wish there is a way I can repay. The way Bonnie had repaid Frank Sr. even after his death. I hope to find a way to thank him.

 

A medic team comes out as we pull up in front of the base. No, I won't let Mikey see me like this again. When they try to get me on the carrier, I shake my head. "No, let me walk myself," I say. They don't like that idea but I insist. They lift Galaxy and Wanda on it but I walk, using Frank as a crutch. My head spins and I can't see clearly. I might have scratched an artery, explaining the huge lose a lot of blood. I do my best to stand but after a few steps, Frank is practically holding me up and he leads me through the base.   
Mikey stands in the diner watching. He sees me. "Gerard!" He runs over to hug me but stops when he sees all the blood. My jacket is the same color as his and my light colored jeans now maroon. "They said there were two casualties. I was scared it was you. What happened?"   
I could have been me if it wasn't for Woody. "No, I promised I'd come back and have I ever broken a promise?" I ask. I almost broke it, if it wasn't for Woody. His death starts haunting me. I shouldn't be here. I should have been left in that building. Why wasn't I the one to die? Why did he die for me? Would I have done the same to him? I know I would if it was Mikey or Frank. When we were boys and I thought BL/ind found us, I ran to save Mikey. Back in the facility, I pushed Frank out of the way of the explosion. Would I have done the same thing for Woody? I don't know... Last time I got shot, it was because I saved Ray. I pushed him out of the way and took the blast. I am equally close to Ray as Woody. I tell myself I would have done the same when really, there is no way to prove my actions. Not anymore at least.   
The paramedics lead me downstairs to the hospital wing. The start working on my cut. The field medic managed to stop the bleeding. The doctor pours a clear liquid onto a cloth. I've had my fair share of raiding stores out in the zones. I know what's in a brown bottle. Hydrogen peroxide and it stings.   
I flinch back as he lowers the cloth towards my neck. "It's going to hurt. I know and I'm sorry, but the scarf they used to stop the bleeding isn't sanitary and I need to clean your wound." I still back away. "You need to cooperate, Gerard Way. Time is important here. That bandanna has dirt and bacteria on it. I need to hurry to clean your wound. I'm not sure how long it's already been. This needs to get cleaned immediately before it's too late. If I don't it will get in your bloodstream and you will get sick. Then the medicine you need will be harder to come by and also need to be injected with a hypodermic needle. And I know how much you hate needles." He is quite persuasive, my doctor. He places a hand on my shoulder and applies the clothes to my neck. It burns so much that I can't help but yell except my voice is gone and it's just a dry, raspy cry. I grab his hands and try to move them away but a nurse with a neon blue vest comes over and tries to calm me down. Eventually, Dr. Connors removes the cloth. The nurse goes to assists with Galaxy and the doctor leaves me for a minute to get bandages. I see Frank in a bed diagonal to mine. A medic applies an ointment and then with thin medical tape, proceeds to wrap his hands and fingers. The other doctor starts treating Galaxy and a nurse puts an IV in Wanda to try and flood out the toxins. I walk over to Frank as the medic finishes wrapping. I sit next to him.   
He looks down at the ground. He takes out his leather fingerless gloves from his pocket and puts them on over the bandages. Outside, a clap of thunder echoes. I nudge him. "How are you?" I ask.  
"I'm fine. I'm all good," he scoffs. I know he's lying. He has a really hard time hiding it. His voice shakes and he does his best to keep himself from hyperventilating.   
"Frank," I say. I put a hand on his shoulder. He looks away. "Are you okay?" I ask  
A tear rolls down his cheek but he quickly wipes it away. "Just take a good hard look," he whispers. "You really need to listen to me because I'm telling you the truth. I mean this, I'm okay."  
I hold his face with my hands and turn him to face me. He bites his lip and his pupils dilate. "Well," I say, "if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say. I don't want to ever let you down but I'm not okay. Trust me."  
Frank cries, closing his eyes. The tears spill. He raises his hands to frantically wipes them away but I grab them before he can. I hold onto his hands and pull him closer to me to hug him. I feel his whispering breath as he trembles, "I'm not o-fucking-kay." His shoulders shake. "I wish it... he... I just wish he made it."  
My heart breaks as I hear Frank and tears build up in my eyes. A bunch of other people start coming in. Frank pulls away from me, yanking back his hands and he frantically rubs his eyes. He runs out of the hospital. "Frank!" I call but he doesn't stop. I chase after him. I hear someone call my name but I ignore them. They can wait. Frank makes it upstairs to the diner. For being much shorter than me, he somehow is faster than I am. There are some Killjoys in the diner talking, the guards, a few lookouts, and the mechanics. Frank pushes past them and bolts out the door.  
I make it to the top of the stairs and catch my breath. Mikey looks at me. "What's going on?" he asks.  
"Of those two casualties, Woody was one of them," I say. Mikey's widen and he stands shocked. "I need to get him."  
"Oh my god. That's horrible," he says. "Gerard, it's lightning out there."  
"I don't care," I shout as I run out in the downpour.

"Frank!" I shout as I splash through the puddles. The zones lack a lot of vegetation around the base so everything easily becomes mud. "Frank!" I shout but it does no good. The heavy rain and deafening thunder drown out my voice.   
Frank falls over up ahead on his knees. He tries to stand up but slips in the mud and his whole body plants on the ground. He tries to crawl away but he falls back down defeated. I finally have a chance to catch up to him. I try to slow down but the ground has no surface tension and I too fall in the mud on my back. Frank lifts his face out of the mud and I grab his arms. I pull him up and move next to him. Frank is the happiest person I know. He laughs and giggles over everything. He is so kind and warm hearted. He loves to smile and is an adorable child on the inside. He jumps around and giggles, always beaming, his eyes taking in the world with wonder. But right now, he looks so lost and hopeless. He cries out. I try to comfort him. His hands turn into fists and he screams out. I hug him and cover his head with my arms. As he sobs helplessly on the inside of my jacket, I let out a small cry. Frank, I wish I could comfort you. I can't handle listening to you so devastatingly hurt. I have tried so hard to not break down. I am struck with grief over the loss of Woody and it has taken everything to keep me together but hearing Frank so heartbroken over the death of his brother, it actually kills me. They were raised together. If I were in his shoes, it would be if Mikey had died so Frank could live. If I think about it that way, a part of me wonders if Frank is starting to hate me. It's impossible for me to hate Frank but he could hate me. I'm not a good person, not as kind as Frank. I think of how ruined my life would become if that ever happened to me. I can't even imagine what the loss of Mikey would feel like. I don't want to try to picture a scenario where Mikey died AND I hypothetically hated Frank. I don't even want to picture one of them.  
Frank looks around but all that there is to see is the landscapes turning to mud and small rivers of rainwater flowing downhill. We are quite far from the base. "What are you doing?" I ask him. "You're scaring me." He doesn't answer me. "I'm so sorry everything happened the way it did."   
"That's just the way every played out that time." He pulls away from me. "It was either you or Woody and he knew that too. He died to save you," he says. I stand up I don't know what to do. The rain starts washing off the mud from my jacket and the blood on my body. I feel hollow inside. There is nothing in my chest. I can't feel anything but pain as if I can feel my heart actually breaking. I can't tell if Frank is angry at me or not. Losing Woody is bad enough as it is but losing Frank on top of that would kill me.  
Frank sits in the mud, his knees sinking deeper. He stares aimlessly at the sky, not in wonder but in despair. "Can you hear me?" he whispers. He doesn't face me when he talks. "Are you near me?" he asks. He is not talking to me.   
I slowly start backing away from him. Is he angry at me? I've been holding on tonight and I don't want to anger him. What's the worst thing I can say? "We should go back to the base," I suggest.   
"Things are better if I stay," he says. His head hangs low and his shoulder droop. His wet hair covers his face.   
"Well, so long," I say, "and goodnight." I turn around and walk back to the base. He either wants to be alone to mourn or he doesn't want me around. I tell myself that it's the first option. I don't want to believe he hates me.  
The rain pelts my head as I walk away. Someone grabs my arm and they spin me around. Frank looks at me. There's so much pain on his faces. He bites his lip and his eyes find a way to stare through me. He too feels hollow. "Gee, I can't go back in there. Not now-," he says. "But, I don't want to be alone." He looks down and he grips the front of my jacket. "Please, stay with me." I hold up his head and hug him. "It was a lie when they smiled and said you won't feel a thing. It hurts and I feel that," he cries out. "Why did this happen?"  
"Frank?" I ask. "Would you rather it have been me?" Frank snaps his head up and stares hard at me. "Just tell me honestly. I won't be mad."  
"Gerard Way, why would say that?" he asks, gripping my jacket tighter and tugging it closer to him. "What makes you think I prefer you dead?"  
"Because Woody's your brother."  
"And you are my best friend. Gee, I love Woody and it is killing me that he-that he-" Frank can't bear himself to say it. "When I saw you held at gun point, I was so scared. I was utterly terrified of what it would mean to live without you."  
"But, wouldn't it be better, at least a little bit, if Woody didn't-if he had just stayed in place. Would it be easier for you if Woody was the one that made it out? Just tell me. "  
"Please, don't say that. Don't think that I would rather Woody lived. I would rather both of you survived." I look away from him. "Gee, if a Drac has Mikey and I captured and they killed Mikey but I escaped, would you hate me for not dying?"  
"Of course not." Frank stares at me.   
His jaw trembles and he hugs me again. "When you tumbled in the explosion, it took me so long to realize you weren't by our side. When I saw that gun pressed up against your neck, I died thinking that would be that last time I saw you. I couldn't feel anything I was so numb. I couldn't feel, breath or think. All I could do was sit petrified staring at you. You looked at me, your eyes, they weren't begging for help. You accepted your fate and that's what made it even worse. You gave into them and you let them take the light behind your eyes."  
"There was nothing I could do and I thought I was going to die. I had to accept it. If Woody didn't do anything, it would have been the end for me. I didn't know he would have done something. I didn't want to die but it's what it came to," I say. "I chose defeat. I couldn't walk away."  
Frank yanks on my jacket and brings me down to his height, my face right in front of his, our foreheads against each other. "You have any idea how much that would destroy me?!" he shouts, shaking me. "It hurts that Woody is gone but I would have lost everything if you died! My whole damn life is backward! I never knew my mother. She died before I was even born. I shouldn't be here but I am. My dad is gone! He's dead and the only thing left of him is his memory and this tattered vest. When the car exploded, I should have died but I didn't. Every battle I've been in could have been my last. When we went in that facility, everything happened so fast. There was a flash when Woody tackled the guy. You flew back and there was blood everywhere. He fucking shot you! For a moment, I thought that he shot in the head. You were twitching on the ground and there was so much blood, so much red. I swear, my heart stopped when I saw you like that! I was panicking because I thought you were going to bleed out and die in my arms! You kept telling me to leave and you wouldn't cooperate. I was running out of time to save you. Both of us knew we were out of time but you didn't care! I was so scared to lose you and you didn't care you were dying! I cannot lose you, Gee!" His shouts and screams slowly morphed into hysterical hyperventilating sobs. He rests his head against my chest, still gripping my jacket. "I cannot lose you, Gee," he recites and just under his breath over and over until I hear him say something to himself. "I can't, Gee. You are the world to me."  
"I didn't think I meant that much to you," I mutter.   
"You ask me if I rather it be you over Woody? In other words, who would I rather lose?" He slowly raises his head and faces me. "I've come to realize that losing Woody hurts so much, more than I thought I could hurt. But the thing is, he's dead and I'm hurting. When I thought you were dying, I was dying along with you." He pauses for a moment. "As agonizing as it is to say, I will be okay over time with Woody's death but you? It's impossible to live without you. I would rather it be him than you." 

 

I change out of my wet clothes and put them in a bag. I put on dry jeans and a gray hoodie. I put the wet ones in the washroom. There's now a new job basically if you aren't a good shooter or can't kill or have a skill set needed, you can be a cleaner. Washes clothes and dried them. Fold them into piles so the owner can find them when they have time and put them back in the locker. Cleaners also tidy up the base, take inventory of everything, and assists care for the injured. It's an easy job.  
I head to the bunks when Dr. Connors stops me. "Gerard Way, it is my job to keep my Killjoy patients alive and you are testing my limits," he says.   
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask. My head spins a little. For some reason, I now have a headache and am fatigue.  
The doctor drags me towards the hospital wing. "Do you want to die?" he asks. This catches me off guard. I can't tell by the tone of his voice if he's threatening me or asking me. I personally don't like this question and remain silent. We make it to the hospital and he forces me to sit on the bed. "You are supposed to be resting, not running and falling around, let alone outside in mud and rain. Secondly, you were not dismissed from the hospital. You are in here for a reason." He continues to rant while setting up the medical supplies for treatment. "You are permitted into a hospital and you cannot leave unless dismissed. There is a difference if you had a high condition where you could be temporarily dismissed but those types of things are for severe conditions, as you recall Frank had head trauma and was qualified to be put the privet sector. But you are not needing that. And what ticks me off most about you prematurely leaving, is I did not finish treating you. I needed to put a sealant spray on your wound to help keep out infection and cover it with a bandage. You also completely disregarded me calling you."   
I don't really know what to say to that. "An apology is due but I know that an 'I'm sorry' won't cut it."  
The doctor sighs. "You're right about that but at least you know that, which is good enough to me." He puts peroxide on a new cloth and applies it to my wound. It stings again and I cry out but I don't fight it. I have given him enough trouble already. "Way, you're basically testing your luck here. Did you fall in the mud? You got dirt in you cut again. You need to stay inside and keep that clean, at least until it's no longer and open wounds and it scabs up. But for your own sake, don't go outside, no fighting, working in the mechanics or anywhere that is not sanitary."  
"I will consider this," I tell him.  
"Three days. You can wait that long." He fills out a form. "You are now dismissed."  
I make my way into the bunk room for adults. The thing that's different from being a kid is that you have your own bunk, as an adult, people come and go. There stay varies so you just take an empty bed. The ones in the back are where the people with more permanent jobs stay.  
I find a bunk next to Ray. He looks at me. "Gerard, how are you doing?" he asks.  
"Terrible, but I'm holding on."  
He nods. "And Frank?"  
"He's miserable, but I don't blame him."  
"Yeah, I can't imagine what he's going through. Those two were raised together," he says. Ray takes off his upholstery and places his blaster under his pillow. "If you need anything, Gerard, I'll be here for you."  
"Thanks, Raymond," I say. I turn around and Frank stands not too far away. "Frank," I say. "How are you doing?"  
"Right now, I just want to sleep," he says. His eyes are swollen from crying. He looks exhausted.   
"Yeah, same here," I agree. "You want top or bottom?"  
"Uh, top, I guess." He steps on the rim of the bottom mattress and reaches for the top bar to hoist himself up. He climbs over the bar and flops on the top mattress.   
I stand on the rim of my bed and peek my head up. "Hey, so um, if you need me, I'll be here for you. Ray too. Don't hesitate to wake us."  
Frank give a half smile and for a moment he looks like his old self. But only for a moment. "Thank you, Gee. For everything." He rolls over on his back and looks up at the ceiling.  
I climb back down and lie on my mattress. This surely beats lying in the recliner of my car. Yes, I was blessed to have pretty nice seats but it's a car. There's no room to stretch out.   
Things will be forever different. There's one less person on my team. No surveyor or semi-qualified medic. We had a good strong team. I can't imagine having to replace Woody. I close my eyes but sleep is not peaceful. Not tonight after everything that happened.


End file.
